Victims’ relatives voice shock and frustration in Las Vegas as former death row inmate Michael Domingues is set to be released on parole decades after committing a brutal double murder

A Nevada family is reeling after learning that Michael Domingues, a man convicted of murdering a woman and her young son in Las Vegas more than three decades ago, is set to be released on parole.

The victims’ relatives say they feel blindsided and devastated by the decision.

The Crime That Shook Las Vegas

In 1993, a horrific crime shook the Las Vegas community.

Domingues, who was just 16 at the time, strangled 24-year-old Arjin Pechpho and then fatally stabbed her four-year-old son, Jonathan Smith.

Prosecutors revealed that Domingues had also attempted to electrocute the child in a bathtub before resorting to stabbing.

He later admitted to the killings and confessed to using one of Pechpho’s credit cards.

At the time, Domingues became the youngest person in modern Nevada history to receive a death sentence.

He was just 17 when he was officially sentenced to death in 1994, marking a grim milestone in the state’s legal history.

From Death Row to Life With Parole

Domingues’ fate shifted after a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling abolished the death penalty for defendants under 18.

His sentence was eventually revisited, and in 2019, District Judge Michelle Leavitt ordered a new penalty hearing.

By 2020, Domingues received a revised sentence of 30 years to life, with credit for time already served, making him eligible for parole.

Late last year, the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners approved his release.

Domingues, now 49, could be freed from High Desert State Prison on February 13, having spent his entire adult life behind bars.

Family Members Feel Excluded and Devastated

The news came as a shock to Pechpho’s mother, Tawin Eshelman, who learned of the parole from a reporter rather than the state.

“Why do we have to go through this again?” she said tearfully. “Why?”

Her husband, Vernon Eshelman, echoed her frustration, questioning how the parole board could proceed without notifying them.

“That’s insane,” he said.

“They go to hell for what they’ve done. This is the worst news we could possibly endure.”

Michael Smith, the murdered boy’s father, also said he had not been informed.

“I would have said no, I don’t agree with it, it’s not right,” he said.

“I can’t hug my son, I can’t talk to my son, I can’t even see my son. So do you think it’s really fair for a cold-blooded murderer to be granted freedom?”

The family noted that they did not submit a victim notification form but said it would have been simple for the parole board to find them.

Tawin added that she has lived in the same house since the 1970s and never changed her phone number, making it easy for authorities to reach her.

Domingues’ Appeal for a Second Chance

During a parole hearing in November, Domingues addressed the board, saying, “I don’t know how to ask for my freedom because what happened was really horrible.

The person that did that does not exist no more.”

He asked for a “chance at life” and expressed regret over the crime.

The tone of his comments now is notably different from the 1994 trial, when he pleaded not guilty and claimed he could not show remorse for something he said he did not do.

Recently, Domingues declined to answer questions from the Las Vegas Review-Journal about whether he still maintains his innocence, citing concern that media attention could affect his parole.

Remembering the Victims

Pechpho would have been 57, and her son 36.

Tawin often thinks about the grandson she lost, imagining the life he could have led, and admits she still cries when speaking about him and her daughter.

Pechpho was a straight-A student, a diligent worker at Circus Circus Casino, and pursuing night classes to become a court recorder.

By age 24, she had purchased her own home without ever asking her mother for financial help.

Jonathan Smith, described by his father as “very bright,” had just started learning the alphabet when his life was cut tragically short. His father says he thinks about him “pretty much every day.”

What’s Next?

Domingues is scheduled for release from High Desert State Prison on February 13.

It remains uncertain if the family will take legal action to challenge the parole or seek additional avenues to contest his release.

Meanwhile, public attention continues to focus on how victims’ families are notified and involved in parole decisions.

Summary

Michael Domingues, convicted of brutally murdering a Las Vegas mother and her four-year-old son in 1993, is on the verge of being released on parole after more than 30 years behind bars.

The victims’ family says they were not properly informed and expressed shock and outrage at the news.

Domingues has expressed remorse for his actions, but for the Eshelmans and Michael Smith, the trauma of losing loved ones remains painfully fresh, leaving the community grappling with justice, accountability, and the consequences of parole decisions.