Prosecutors say Joe Junio bought a firearm after weeks of threats against Nicholas Davi and his family.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A Nevada woman accused of killing a Las Vegas pastor is headed toward trial as prosecutors point to threats, a gun purchase and a final text message before the Dec. 29, 2023, shooting.

Joe Junio, 38, is charged with open murder with a deadly weapon in the killing of Nicholas Davi, 46, and attempted murder with a deadly weapon in the shooting of his wife, Sarah Davi. She also faces two child abuse counts involving a deadly weapon and one count of discharging a firearm where a person might be endangered. The criminal case now turns on what prosecutors say happened before the gunfire and what evidence jurors may hear when the case reaches trial in May.

The case began in public view as a shooting outside a home in the Court at Aliante community, near Deer Springs Way and Aviary Way. Police said Davi and Junio were neighbors. Davi served as a pastor at Grace Point Church in Las Vegas. On the day he was shot, he and his family were preparing to leave their home. Prosecutors say Junio pulled into the area, and a confrontation followed near the Davises’ vehicle. According to accounts of the case, Davi asked Junio why she would not leave his family alone and said, “What’s your problem with us?” Moments later, prosecutors say, Junio opened fire, striking Davi and his wife while the couple’s children were nearby.

The state’s newest filings place that moment inside a longer timeline. Prosecutors say the Davi family had reported escalating conduct in the weeks before the shooting. They allege Junio threw large rocks into the family’s yard, tried to flood the home and later threw rocks and dog feces over a fence. In one incident, prosecutors say, she ran a finger across her throat in a cutting motion and told members of the family they were “next.” Police were called at least twice before the shooting. The filings also say the family left the home for a period and stayed with a family friend because of the conduct they had reported. Junio has pleaded not guilty, and the allegations have not been proven at trial.

Prosecutors also describe what they call a critical change after those encounters: Junio’s decision to obtain a firearm. Court records cited in the case say she bought a gun several days after the threatening incidents and asked a friend to show her how to use it. According to prosecutors, Junio told the friend, “My neighbor is harassing me,” and said the neighbor was kicking her door. The state is expected to use that contact to argue Junio was preparing for violence, not reacting without warning. Defense arguments have not been fully laid out in public, but the posture of the case shows that both sides will fight over how much of the pre-shooting history jurors should hear.

The final text message described by prosecutors came shortly before the shooting. Junio allegedly wrote to the same friend that if she was dead or in jail, the friend should take her two dogs and two dog treadmill. Prosecutors say the shooting happened about 10 minutes later. That message may become one of the state’s strongest pieces of evidence on intent because it suggests Junio was thinking about death or arrest before the confrontation. The court must decide how the message, the gun purchase and earlier threats fit within Nevada rules on admissible evidence. A hearing was scheduled for April 21 on whether newly filed evidence may be used at trial. Evidence rulings before trial can decide whether jurors hear a clean account of the shooting alone or a broader account that begins with earlier police calls and alleged threats.

The charges reflect the reach of the gunfire beyond Davi’s death. Sarah Davi was also shot and survived with serious injuries. The couple’s children, ages 12 and 15 at the time, were in the family vehicle and recorded the incident, according to court documents and reports on the case. The video evidence is expected to be central because it captured at least part of the confrontation and the shooting. Prosecutors have charged the child abuse counts because the children were present during a deadly attack involving a firearm. The discharge count adds another allegation tied to firing a gun in a place where people might be endangered.

Junio was arrested after the shooting, after authorities said she ran from the scene. The arrest ended the immediate search but began a criminal process that has stretched more than two years. A grand jury later indicted her on charges tied to the fatal shooting, the wounding of Sarah Davi and the children’s presence. Prosecutors now must connect the earlier reports, the firearm evidence and the video to the legal elements of the crimes charged.

Junio was arrested after the shooting and remains at the Clark County Detention Center. A judge ordered her held without bond. At an arraignment in 2024, she pleaded not guilty, and prosecutors said a death review committee had decided not to seek the death penalty. That means a murder conviction would not expose Junio to capital punishment, but she still faces a possible life sentence if convicted on the most serious count. The open murder charge allows prosecutors to pursue different murder theories under Nevada law, leaving the final degree and instructions to be resolved as the case moves closer to trial.

The dispute that preceded the killing has been described in court records as involving homeowners association complaints about animals and neighborhood conduct. In the criminal case, that background matters only to the extent it explains motive, state of mind and the sequence of events. Prosecutors say the argument had moved far beyond a neighborhood disagreement by the time Junio allegedly made threats, bought a gun and texted about being dead or in jail. The defense may challenge whether those earlier incidents prove intent or unfairly prejudice jurors. It may also argue that the earlier reports should not substitute for proof of what happened in the seconds before the gun was fired. The judge’s evidence rulings could shape how much of the weeks-long conflict is placed before a jury.

Grace Point Church leaders described Davi after his death as a husband, father and pastor whose work reached people inside and outside the church. In the courtroom, though, the focus will be narrower. Jurors will not be asked to decide the broader neighborhood dispute or any civil blame. They will be asked whether prosecutors can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Junio committed each charged crime, including whether the killing was murder and whether the other people at the scene were victims under the attempted murder and child abuse counts.

Junio’s case was set for a key evidence hearing on April 21, with trial scheduled for May. Junio remains presumed innocent unless convicted, and the next major question is how much of the alleged pre-shooting conduct jurors will be allowed to consider.

Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.