Left: The fatal shooting of Nicholas Davi (lawsuit). Right: Joe Junio (Clark County Detention Center)
A Nevada woman told her neighbor“s family they were “next” while running a finger across her throat “in a cutting motion” before buying a gun and killing the resident — who was a pastor — in front of them, according to newly filed court documents.
Joe Junio, 38, is accused of gunning down Nicholas Davi, a 46-year-old pastor at Grace Point Church in Las Vegas, in December 2023 amid a homeowners association dispute. Court documents obtained by local CBS affiliate KLAS describe new allegations of a “rapidly escalating pattern of hostility, threats, and harassment directed at the Davi family” that ultimately led to the shooting.
Prosecutors say Junio threatened Davi’s loved ones just weeks before the slaying.
For example, they allegedly saw Junio throwing rocks into their yard before she “ran her finger across her throat in a cutting motion and told them they were next,” according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Police were called to their North Las Vegas neighborhood that same day after receiving a report accusing Junio of chucking large rocks at Davi’s home. She also allegedly attempted to flood their residence and forced them to go stay with a family friend.
Two days later, Junio was back at it again — hurling a “large number of rocks and dog feces” over her fence and into the Davi family’s backyard, the court documents state.
Junio allegedly purchased a gun several days later and asked a friend of hers to show her how to use it. “My neighbor is harassing me,” she told the pal, according to prosecutors. “Kicking my door.”
Davi’s wife filed a temporary protection order against Junio on Dec. 19 and a hearing was scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024. Davi was dead 10 days later, days before the scheduled hearing.
On the day of the shooting, Junio allegedly texted the same friend whom she asked about using the gun and said, “If I’m dead or in jail. Take my 2 dogs and 2 dog treadmill.” She killed Davi 10 minutes later, according to prosecutors.
Junio allegedly claimed in a post-arrest jail phone call with the pal that Davi had been harassing her for the past decade. “You know, I told you to get rid of that gun,” the friend told Junio, according to the court documents.
Junio was arrested after the deadly incident and charged with one count each of open murder with a deadly weapon and attempted murder with a deadly weapon, two charges of child abuse involving a deadly weapon, and discharging of a firearm where a person might be endangered. The attempted murder charge is the result of Davi’s wife, Sarah, also being severely injured in the shooting.
Junio remains jailed at the Clark County Detention Center after being ordered held without bond. Sarah Davi filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2024 against her.
The complaint, which was obtained by Law&Crime, says the fatal encounter between the two neighbors stemmed from an HOA beef.
Though not a named defendant in the action, the homeowners association “provided information” to Junio regarding complaints filed by Nicholas Davi and “should have known that (Junio) would likely perform violent actions against deceased and Plaintiff as a result of on-going association disputes,” the lawsuit says.
The Review-Journal report states that Nicholas Davi and Sarah Davi had previously filed formal complaints claiming that Junio had committed several violations concerning chickens and dogs. However, just before the fatal shooting, the couple said that Junio had been “engaging in escalating threatening behavior” toward their family.
The family reportedly called the police on Junio at least two separate times. They were home and preparing to leave for the night on the day of the shooting when Junio parked her car in her driveway, which was directly next to theirs. She and Nicholas Davi got into a verbal argument during which he asked her why she would not just leave the family alone, saying “What’s your problem with us?”
Per the complaint, Junio “suddenly opened the door of her vehicle and approached Nicholas” before opening fire. She allegedly shot the pastor first and then shot his wife. The couple’s children, ages 12 and 15, recorded the incident.
Junio allegedly ran away and was later arrested.
Sarah Davi is seeking punitive damages, general damages, and damages for “grief, sorrow, loss of probable support, companionship, society, comfort, consortium, and damages for pain, suffering or disfigurement” in excess of $15,000, which is the standard minimum for state civil suits.
Junio is due to appear in court on April 21 for a hearing about whether newly filed evidence will be admissible at trial. She is scheduled to go on trial in May.
Jerry Lambe contributed to this report.
