Burglar gets 2-5 years
in Maui woman's death

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Associated Press

LAS VEGAS >> A man arrested in the killing of a 29-year-old Maui woman at Harrah's Las Vegas hotel and casino has been sentenced to two to five years in prison.

Michael Frimmel, 32, pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary in exchange for dismissing a number of other charges, including murder. He was sentenced in Clark County District Court on Friday by District Judge Michael Cherry.

Authorities say Frimmel and Stephen Mullen Jr., 33, were involved in a number of thefts from patrons at various casinos in the days before the Sept. 8, 2000, shooting death of Heather Vitarelli.

Vitarelli was shot when Harrah's security guards tried to detain Mullen and Frimmel.

Frimmel was handcuffed without incident, but Mullen tried to escape and was wrestled to the floor by casino guards. Mullen pulled a gun from his waistband and fired two shots, police said.

Vitarelli, who was attending college in Napa, Calif., was struck in the back by a stray bullet from Mullen's gun. The other shot hit a security guard in the abdomen. The guard survived.

Mullen is serving a 40-year-to-life sentence for Vitarelli's death and a consecutive term of 16 to 40 years for the attempted murder of the guard.

Vitarelli, a 1988 Baldwin High School graduate, was born on Saipan and moved to Maui at the age of 3, where she was raised by her paternal grandparents.