Attorney: Boulder City murder suspect gets death threats

An attorney for Boulder City murder suspect John Powell Morgan III said Morgan was found with a loaded weapon and brass knuckles in his possession Saturday because he fears for his life due to death threats.

Morgan, 40, was arrested Saturday and faces a murder charge in the controversial May 2021 killing of Scott Dingman, 40, outside Morgan’s Boulder City home. Morgan acknowledged fatally shooting his acquaintance after a night of heavy drinking, but said his actions were justified because Dingman pointed a gun at him.

Boulder City police initially agreed, believing Dingman’s killing was a case of self-defense.

On Saturday, however, more than five years after the shooting, Boulder City police arrested Morgan on a murder warrant at a Findlay Honda dealership in Henderson, police records show. At the time of his arrest police said Morgan was wearing a fanny pack containing a loaded Glock handgun and brass knuckles despite Morgan not having a concealed carry permit.

Morgan’s attorney, Louis Schneider, said Wednesday Morgan had the weapons for self protection due to fallout from the 2021 shooting.

“He has had so many death threats,” Schneider said. “People have come up and put signs on his house.

“He gets anonymous death threats,” Schneider continued. “Not only anonymous death threats. He gets threats online all the time, and he’s scared.”

Authorities have since filed weapons charges against Morgan in Henderson due to the gun and brass knuckles. It is now the third pending criminal case filed against Morgan by Clark County prosecutors in 18 months. In addition to the murder charge, he also faces a separate drug case in Boulder City.

Court records show the drug charges were filed after police said they found cocaine in Morgan’s house while serving a search warrant in the homicide investigation in 2025. And, it now appears prosecutors are doing everything possible to keep Morgan in jail despite him posting bonds in all three criminal cases.

Morgan posted a $1 million bond in the murder case, an $11,000 bond in the weapons case and a $19,000 bond in the drug case.

On Tuesday Clark County prosecutor Chase Christensen filed a motion to revoke Morgan’s bail in the drug case, citing the weapons found in his possession Saturday.

“Defendant’s current bail setting and or release is conditioned upon a court order to stay out of trouble,” Christensen said.

Schneider contends Morgan is being targeted by authorities in part to defuse a pending civil suit against Boulder City and others filed by Dingman’s family.

“It’s not paranoia if people are actually out to get you,” Schneider said. “They are stacking this deck so high.”

Police said Morgan was charged with murder in Dingman’s killing because a witness told investigators last week that before the 2021 shooting, Morgan had removed a magazine from Dingman’s handgun, completely contradicting Morgan’s original account. They also said a blood spatter expert found evidence to contradict Morgan’s portrayal of what happened.

And, police said two minutes of critical surveillance video from Morgan’s house on the night of the shooting are missing.

Morgan is expected back in court Monday for an entry of a plea in the weapons case. He is scheduled back in court in Boulder City on Tuesday for a hearing on the proposed revocation of bail.

Contact Glenn Puit at [email protected].