Suvechha Sarkar
In early 2017, the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, was shaken by two deeply troubling deaths that left investigators searching for answers. In January and February of that year, the double homicide of Daniel M. Aldape and David H. Dunn raised concerns within the homeless community. Both of these heartbreaking cases come into focus in the episode titled ‘The Desert City Murders’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Homicide Hunter: American Detective.’ It follows the intensive investigation that led officials to a person, whom the authorities believed could be the killer. The episode also features interviews with the law enforcement officials who worked diligently on the case.
Daniel Aldape’s Remains Were Found at the Spot Where He Was Sleeping
Linda Schalk and her partner were overjoyed when they welcomed their son Daniel M. Aldape into their lives sometime in 1971. From an early age, he maintained a close relationship with his beloved sister. Unfortunately, the relationship between Daniel’s parents didn’t work out, which led to their separation. Linda found love again when she met Fred Schalk, and they soon tied the knot. Fred welcomed Daniel into his life as his own son and tried his best to raise him. Fred described Daniel as an incredible person who would never hurt others. Sadly, Daniel lost his home and had been living on the streets for around 4 months by January 2017. Despite the hardship, he reportedly stayed in contact with his family by calling them once every few weeks.
Daniel spoke with his family on Christmas Day 2016 and was set to attend his sister’s wedding ceremony in June 2017. However, things took a dark turn around 12:30 am on January 4, 2017. On that fateful day, he was found dead around the southeast corner of the intersection of City and Grand Central parkways in Las Vegas, Nevada. When authorities rushed to the scene, they discovered Daniel’s remains on the ground, wrapped in blankets. Further inspection revealed that he was struck on the head around four to five times with a likely heavy object. Investigators reportedly found no evidence of robbery but deduced that he was sleeping when the attack occurred. The autopsy report determined his cause of death was blunt force head trauma, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
David Dunn Died From Head Trauma at an Intersection in Las Vegas
David H. Dunn arrived as a beacon of light in the world sometime in 1957. No public reports provide an in-depth look into his early life. However, when circumstances led him to live on the streets, he reportedly made several friends. According to one of his friends, David was the type of person who would always help others even when he had no money for himself. His loved ones remembered him as someone who always wore a smile, loved his hat, and enjoyed football. David also frequently attended the church after the service and during mealtimes. However, his beautiful life came to a sudden end on February 3, 2017.
Shortly before 9 am on that day, David’s remains were discovered in the northwest corner of the same intersection where Daniel’s remains were found. At the scene, detectives found David’s remains wrapped in blankets. They narrowed down his time of death between the time he was last seen around 1 am on that fateful day and when his remains were ultimately found. Just like Daniel, authorities noted that there were no obvious signs of a robbery, indicating that he was sleeping when he was killed. The autopsy reportedly determined that he had sustained head trauma, which was also his cause of death. David’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Detectives Used a Human Decoy to Take the Alleged Killer Into Custody
As both homicides happened in close succession, officials noticed the similarities. They noted that both David and Daniel were homeless men who had been sleeping at the same intersection. Moreover, they were killed in a similar manner without any evidence of robbery, which made the authorities consider the possibility that the murders were “thrill killings,” as per police records. Although investigators questioned several people, they found no viable leads. According to official reports, they created a “human decoy” on the night of February 22, 2017, by placing a mannequin and covering it with blankets. The authorities reportedly staged it to look like a sleeping homeless man, wrapping it in a floral-print blanket, a hooded sweatshirt, and black boots.
The decoy was set up in the corner where Daniel’s remains were discovered. According to court records, after placing the decoy, law enforcement officials monitored the area through hidden surveillance cameras. Shortly after, they noticed a man approaching the mannequin and using a 4-pound ball-peen hammer from his bag to strike the decoy multiple times. Reports indicate that the surveillance footage also captured the man using both hands to swing the hammer, suggesting an attempt to create maximum force. The officers who were surveilling the decoy swiftly took action and arrested the man, named Shane Allen Schindler, on February 22, 2017.
Shane was initially indicted on a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon (hammer) without a permit and was held on a bond of $50,000. When he was questioned, he reportedly claimed that he knew he had attacked a mannequin. Further records suggest that when Shane was asked about David and Daniel’s deaths, he denied his involvement. Digital forensic experts soon found a selfie on his mobile phone dating back to November 2016, when he was in the same area. On November 30, another homeless man was attacked, but the man reportedly survived the attack. However, due to insufficient evidence, Shane was never charged with the murders of David and Daniel or the third attack on the homeless man.
Shane Schindler is Incarcerated at a Nevada Correctional Facility Today
Shortly after his indictment, the prosecution dropped the charge of concealed weapon and charged Shane with attempted murder related to the case where he attacked the man. He reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charge in May 2017, with the defense emphasizing that the charge was unusual. On the other hand, the prosecution emphasized that there was no possibility that Shane would know he was hitting an inanimate object. His date of jury trial was scheduled for August 8, 2017.
Ultimately, Shane avoided the trial by entering into a plea deal with the prosecution. He reportedly pleaded guilty to attempted murder in June 2017, and he was not charged with the homicide of David and Daniel as part of the agreement. On August 24, 2017, Shane was sentenced to 8 to 20 years in prison. As of writing, Shane is serving his sentence at the Ely State Prison in Ely, Nevada.
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