Store founder found slain
By ADAM AASEN
REVIEW-JOURNAL
The 83-year-old Las Vegas man who was found slain in his Spanish
Oaks home Friday evening was John Herda Sr., founder of Herda's
Discount Appliances in Las Vegas.
One of Herda's sons, who was not identified by police or family,
called police around 5:30 p.m. reporting that he had found his
father with a gunshot wound to his head in the hallway of the home
in the 3200 block of Plaza Del Paz near Sahara Avenue and Valley
View Boulevard, police said. Spanish Oaks is a gated community with
a security guard at the entrance.
Las Vegas Lt. Lew Roberts said investigators found signs of forced
entry into the home. The house was ransacked and Herda's death has
been ruled a homicide.
Herda was last seen alive about 24 hours before his death, Roberts
said.
Along with his two sons John Jr. and Nick, Herda founded local
institution Herda's Discount Appliances at 3025 South Highland Drive
in 1978, said Susan Herda, his daughter-in-law and John Jr.'s wife.
Herda was also a successful bar owner in Michigan and Southern
California before moving to Las Vegas in the 1960s, she said.
Herda also founded Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts, a social
group for off-road racing and riding, she said. She said Herda
continued off-road racing well into his 60s.
Around 1988 I worked for a business on Highland and Mr Herda owned a
bar across the street from the appliance store. I cashed my checks
in the bar I believe he was the one who cashed my paychecks as he
had part interest in the business I worked at. I shopped at Herda's
many times over the years as their prices were very competitve. It's
a damn shame that living in a gated community with a security guard
that thieves and murderers can still gain entrance into your house.
I'll bet the people who live in Spanish Oaks are scared out of their
wits now. Hopefully they will catch the person or person's who did
this. They will get the death penalty. Nevada has no problem
executing people like this.