Man Sentenced for Killing 3 with Sword and Mace, Including Grandma, Living with Bodies: Police

The judge passed down the sentence, which comes without the possibility of parole, after Spencer McDonald (above), 32, entered pleas of guilty but mentally ill on three murder charges, per Law&Crime. The plea kept the death penalty off the table.

During his sentencing hearing, McDonald was offered the opportunity to explain his crimes, which he did with a statement captured by CBS affiliate KLAS: "I can say why it happened. The timing was that of being required to see a psychiatrist in order to reinstate disability income," he said. "I was deeply afraid of the side effects."

According to a police report, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department first became aware that something was amiss after a friend of Dina Vail, 80, arrived to pick her up for ballet class on June 26, 2023. The friend owned the studio, per police, and Vail was the class instructor.

"Dina loved teaching ballet," the studio owner said in court at the sentencing hearing, per Fox affiliate KVVU. "She taught it for 65 years. And the kids, she was like a grandmother to them."

The owner told police that he knocked at the door and noticed a package sitting on the step. Assuming that Vail had gotten another ride, he went to the studio -- but Vail never showed up. He then sent messages to Vail, her boyfriend Andrew "AJ" Graden, 43, and her grandson, McDonald -- who all lived together.

Reaching out to another family member raised a flag as they'd not heard from her recently, either. That family member later told the studio owner that they'd reached out and McDonald had replied that Vail "took the day off." By the following day, with still no word from Vail directly, a welfare check was requested.

Tragically, one of the two maintenance workers, Christopher Brassard, 43, who attempted the welfare check would become McDonald's final alleged fatal victim. The other maintenance worker was also attacked, per the report, but was able to escape and survived. McDonald was initially charged with attempted murder for this individual, but that charge was dropped as part of the plea deal.

Police fielded multiple calls after this incident about "a white male armed with a large pipe attacking people" and an injured man bleeding from his back, according to the police report, as well as a call stating three deceased victims and one attacked. Officers arrived at approximately 10:30 a.m. that Tuesday and made contact with both the victim, as well as McDonald, per KVVU.

According to the maintenance worker, when he and his co-worker first entered the apartment, he "saw a piece of cardboard on the floor covering what he thought was blood." He also told police he "saw what he believed to be blood on the walls."

As the men were in shock and trying to process what they were seeing, the surviving worker said they saw a man charge out of "the spare bedroom" wielding what looked like a massive hammer. This man was ID'd as McDonald.

The surviving worker said that he heard Brassard cry out as he was struck. He further said that he was also hit by the hammer-like object, but managed to escape.

A bit later, he said that he returned to the apartment to retrieve his cell phone, "which he had dropped," per the report. McDonald was nowhere around, but he saw Brassard dead in the living room. Investigators later determined that McDonald allegedly finished him off with a knife.

When they first encountered their suspect, McDonald was described as "armed with a large bludgeoning device known as a 'mace.'" He briefly took flight on foot, per police, but was quickly apprehended and taken into custody. Then, in a post-Miranda interview with detectives, he allegedly admitted to everything.

"A couple days prior, in the early morning hours, he killed Dina by bludgeoning and stabbing her while she was in bed," police wrote in their arrest report after their interview with McDonald. Graden was not home at this time, per McDonald, so he "waited in the living room for Andrew to return to the apartment."

"Once Andrew entered the apartment, Spencer bludgeoned and stabbed him in the living room," per the report. He then "dragged Andrew's body into the master bedroom with Dina's body."

From there, the suspect told police that he "lived in the apartment for several days and went about his normal activities," with both of their bodies in the bedroom. He also allegedly confessed to the murder of Brassard during the welfare check.

While talking in court, LVMPD homicide detectives Lawrence Samples shared some more of what McDonald said in his interview, including that he never mentioned Vail or Graden by name, and that after stabbing his grandmother, he was "surprised" by "long the body continues to move after."

After investigating the apartment, police found "a large chef's knife and sword," which they believe that McDonald used to finish off at least some of his victims, per the report. When asked why he committed these killings, police say he had no answer.

In court, homicide detective Jennifer Santiago walked the grand jury through what she and Samples found when they walked the murder scene, starting with Brassard's body "directly in front of the door as you look in."

Vail's body was lying on the bed in the master bedroom next to a large "cosplay sword," Santiago said, that was bent and broken with a bowed blade. She said that Vail had "numerous sharp force injuries to her face," her "left flank," and shoulder.

Graden's body had been visibly dragged through the apartment and deposited at the foot of the bed in Vail's bedroom. It had a sharp force injury to his chest, as well as blackening of the eyes and blunt force trauma to the top of his head "causing it to split," per Santiago, "so it’s a jagged injury ... it actually like cracked like an egg."

Detectives also recovered a butcher knife covered in blood in the hallway with a bent tip, with Santiago noting there was an impression of it left in the carpet. Additionally, detectives found an exercise device described as "basically a steel pole with a metal weight welded to the end of it." McDonald allegedly said this was the weapon he used to attack Graden.

Under the terms of his plea deal, McDonald will remain separate from other inmates and receive "acute mental health care," according to ABC affiliate KTNV, until he is determined fit enough to be brought into general population in the prison.

"It takes into account the overwhelming loss," said defense attorney Anna Clark at McDonald's sentencing hearing. "Both of those statements are true at the same time, that his life has value and their lives have value."

But that statement did not sit well with one of the victim's relatives. Graden's sister reportedly spoke out, telling the court, "I object to what the defendant's lawyer just said about the defendant. My family will feel AJ's absence for the rest of our lives, and this is truly unforgivable."

She then added, "Nothing short of death by stabbing and bludgeoning seems sufficient as punishment for this predator."