Leanna Lehman
Robert Matthew Richards, currently in custody at the Lyon County Jail, appeared in Canal Township Justice Court in Fernley last week. Richards is charged with the murder of 25-year-old Sara Filiatraut.
Filiatraut had been arrested in Lyon County on March 18, 2024, on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and being an intoxicated pedestrian who went missing shortly after her release on March 21.
The Lyon County Sheriff's Office (LSCO) began investigating Filiatraut's disappearance on April 15 when her father reported he could not contact her and that she had not been active on social media since March 21, which was unlike her. A friend of Filiatraut's told detectives that she was at his property in Fernley on March 22 when she called a phone number with a California area code from his phone and asked for a ride.
On May 22, LSCO investigators, alongside Churchill County Sheriff's deputies, discovered Filiatraut's body approximately 30 miles east of Fallon. Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office completed an autopsy and, on the same day, ruled her death a homicide. On May 27, Richards admitted to LSCO detectives during a phone brief that he was with Filiatraut on March 22, the last known person to see her alive. On the same day, Richards’ former employer told investigators Richards said: “he was being investigated for murder and that he was not going to work, and that ‘he was bailing out.’”
Investigators traveled to Colorado and, with the assistance of the Grand County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations, executed a search warrant, which resulted in the collection of numerous pieces of physical evidence, which led to a warrant for Richards’ arrest. Colorado is the base of operations for the company Richards was working for during his time in Fernley.
Lyon County Detectives had identified Robert Richards as the last known person to have seen Filiatraut. With the physical evidence collected in Colorado increasingly pointing to Richards as the primary suspect, multiple law enforcement agencies joined efforts to locate his whereabouts. The investigation included the Lyon, Churchill, Elko, and Washoe County Sheriff's Offices, Reno’s Regional Human Trafficking and Exploitation Unit (HEAT), the Nevada State Police Investigations Division, the Grand County (Colorado) Sheriff's Office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, and the Saratoga Springs Police Department in Utah.
Richards was apprehended on July 29 in Utah and placed in the Salt Lake City Jail on charges of first-degree murder. After three months in custody and losing a battle against his extradition, Richards was transported to Nevada and booked into the Lyon County Jail on November 5.
The Criminal Complaint alleges that Richards did "with premeditation and deliberation, malice and aforethought, kill Sara Filiatraut, a human being, by strangulation and/or blunt force trauma, all of which occurred at or near Desert Rose RV Park" in Fernley.
Richards appeared via Zoom for his first justice court hearing on November 12, where he waived his right to a pretrial hearing within 15 days. On November 19, he appeared again via Zoom for a bail hearing before Justice Court Judge Lori Matheus in Fernley.
Lyon County District Attorney Stephen Rye for the State of Nevada strongly opposed bail. "Mr. Richards is accused of killing Sara Filiatraut and dumping her body," Rye stated, highlighting details from the arrest warrant that suggested Richards posed a significant risk to the community.
"He has a pretrial case pending," said Rye, "He has prior felony convictions, several of which are violent, and he does not live in the state of Nevada."
Rye noted Richards' unemployed status and lack of community ties and that he fought extradition back to Nevada. "He doesn't have a reason to stick around," said Rye, who asked the court to hold Richards without bail.
Patrick Mansfield, Richards' appointed public defender from Walther Law Office, PLLC in Dayton, petitioned for bail of $100,000 bondable. According to Mansfield, Richards was employed until he was taken into custody. "The one point there is somewhat misleading," said Mansfield, "because he was employed at the time of arrest, and now, obviously, he's incarcerated."
"He has two potential job opportunities if released," Mansfield said. He also claimed that Richards' prior criminal charges were not recent and asked the court "not to discriminate against him for being homeless or a non-resident.
Mansfield briefly addressed Richards' pending pretrial case, stating the allegations occurred before the current charges, and reiterated his request for bail at $100,000.
Rye countered Mansfield's arguments, citing Richards' history of multiple violent felony convictions. "Additionally, the court is familiar with the charges of sexual assault," Rye said, remarking that the allegations indicate a pattern of criminal behavior. According to Rye, the alleged sexual assault occurred within weeks of Filiatraut's murder. Should bail be considered, Rye recommended a $1 million minimum.
Court records show that Richards was booked into the Lyon County Jail on April 8 on unrelated charges of sexual assault. He was released on his own recognizance with enhanced supervision on April 10. On June 18, he failed to appear for a scheduled hearing, and Judge Matheus issued a $1,000 cash-only bail. By July 29, Richards had been taken into custody in Utah on the murder charge.
The Nevada Constitution does not require judges to consider bail for defendants charged with capital offenses. After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Matheus denied bail, citing "the nature of the charges, the risk to the community, and the fight against extradition." She also referenced Richards' pattern of conduct and pending charges of alleged sexual assault and kidnapping.
The court scheduled Richards' next hearing for December 31 at 10 a.m.
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