Haunting video footage shows the final moments before a Las Vegas medical assistant was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a former NBA star and his girlfriend.
Chance Comanche, 27, a former NBA G-League star who played for the Stockton Kings prior to his December 15 arrest, faces murder and kidnapping charges in the December 6 death of 23-year-old Marayna Rodgers.
He was indicted by a grand jury on March 11, along with his co-defendant Sakari Harnden, 19.
Newly released surveillance video shows Rodgers walking with Harnden at a Las Vegas liquor store together. She appears to be smiling in the video that became one of the last times she was seen alive.
Chilling photos from the grand jury reveal the rocky makeshift grave where Rodgers’ body was found bloodied and stripped and left in a grave covered by rocks.
Haunting video footage shows the final moments before a medical assistant was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a former Las Vegas NBA star and his girlfriend. Photos from the grand jury reveal the rocky makeshift grave where Marayna Rodgers’ body was found
Chance Comanche, 27, a former NBA G-League player who played for the Stockton Kings prior to his Dec. 15 arrest, faces murder and kidnapping charges in the De ember 6 death of 23-year-old Marayna Rodgers. Comanche was indicted along with his girlfriend co-defendant Sakari Harnden, 19
Footage from a local grocery store shows Comanche and Harnden casually shopping together just hours after allegedly committing the alleged murder.
Police in Las Vegas said Rodgers, a medical assistant, was choked to death early December 6.
Comanche, a 6-foot-10 power forward and center, was dropped following his arrest by Stockton, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. The team had played the G League Henderson Ignite on December 5.
In the footage shot by Sacramento’s KCRA last month, Comanche is seen in a cramped cell as he waives his extradition to Nevada.
Comanche plotted the killing during a G League game, posed as a sex-work customer in order to lure Rodgers to her death, buried her body in the Nevada desert and ultimately made a full confession to police, according to the warrant obtained by DailyMail.com.
In one text message exchange obtained by police, Comanche shared a coffin emoji with Harnden.
‘I can snap her neck or just strangle the [expletive],’ Comanche allegedly wrote in a group chat obtained by police.
Haunting video footage shows the final moments before a medical assistant was kidnapped and killed
Rodgers is seen walking with Harnden near a Las Vegas liquor store together. She appears to be smiling in the video
Just hours after Rodgers’ death, a local grocery store recorded Comanche and Harnden together shopping
Her body was found bloodied and stripped in an undeveloped lot near a suburban community
Rogers, 23, from Washington disappeared on December 6 while visiting Las Vegas
Comanche allegedly told investigators that he was following Harnden’s instructions when he lured Rodgers to her death and later killed her by strangulation
Comanche allegedly told investigators that he was following Harnden’s instructions when he lured Rodgers to her death and later killed her by strangulation.
He and Harnden met on a dating app more than a year ago, and although their relationship lasted only a few months, they have remained in touch, according to police.
Police say Harnden and Rodgers were friends in Washington state, where the latter was working as a medical assistant. However, Harnden recently became upset with Rodgers for telling others that the 19-year-old had implicated Harnden’s own former boyfriend in a double murder in California, according to police.
Rodgers and her boyfriend, identified as Tremaine, traveled to Las Vegas from Washington on December 1 with the intent of ‘engaging in prostitution,’ according to the police report.
Upon learning of their trip, Harnden allegedly plotted with Comanche to lure Rodgers away from Tremaine and her other friends in Las Vegas so they could kill her.
Rodgers was a medical assistant who was visiting the Las Vegas area from Washington state
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police warrant details Rodgers’ murder in chilling detail
Comanche is seen dunking for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League on December 9
Pretending to be a prostitution client or ‘trick,’ Comanche called Rodgers to a meeting place, where he strangled her with an HDMI cord with some help from Harnden, police claim. The pair allegedly ditched Rodgers’ body in Henderson.
‘While Chance used the cord to strangle Marayna, Sakari hand both of her hands on the neck of Marayna choking her,’ read the warrant obtained by DailyMail.com. ‘Chance said once he stopped strangling Marayna he released the tension in the cord, but Sakari continued choking her.
‘Once Marayna was unresponsive, both Sakari and Chance began checking her neck for a pulse as well as touching her to see if she was still breathing. Chance made reference to fluid coming out of Marayna’s mouth which caused them to believe Marayna was dead.’
In the footage shot by Sacramento’s KCRA, the 6-foot-10 Comanche is seen at his first hearing
The pair then drove around looking for a place to dump the body before ultimately finding a ditch and covering Rodgers’ corpse with rocks, according to police.
‘Both Sakari and Chance removed Marayna from the car and placed her in the ditch and began covering her body with ricks,’ read the warrant. ‘Chance admitted to using a towel to move the rocks so their DNA could not be traced.
‘Chance was asked what happened to Marayna’s belongings and he said Marayna’s cell phone was smashed by a rock and placed inside Sakari’s car with Marayna’s other belongings.’