Man allegedly killed friend at Las Vegas hotel over $20 gaming voucher
06/14/2023 3:22 pm PDT
LAS VEGAS (TCD) -- A 40-year-old man is in custody after a housekeeper reportedly found his 35-year-old friend deceased inside a hotel room on the Las Vegas Strip.
On Sunday, June 11, shortly after 12:30 p.m., the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive man in a hotel room on the 3800 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard. Officers found a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound, and medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
According to an arrest report obtained by KSNV-TV, a housekeeper initially found the victim, Martell Merrill, deceased at the Excalibur Hotel after observing a bloodstain coming out of a door.
The suspect, Christopher Mason, was reportedly staying in the hotel room with Merrill and another person. On the night of Saturday, June 10, Merrill’s girlfriend allegedly called hotel security and said a man known as "Quise" was holding a gun up to his head. Hotel security then called 911.
The woman reportedly told officials she was on the phone with Merrill when he got into a dispute with another person regarding a $20 gaming voucher, and she heard a loud noise and gasping before she called security.
Investigators observed Mason on surveillance video entering an elevator that night and leaving the hotel, KSNV reports.
Officials reportedly found a text message from Mason on Merrill’s phone asking about the $20 gaming voucher. According to KSNV, they also noticed a call between Merrill and his girlfriend that lasted around 23 minutes, corroborating the girlfriend’s statement.
When police showed the girlfriend a photo of Mason, she reportedly identified him as "Quise."
According to police, the Criminal Apprehension Team located Mason and took him into custody on Monday, June 12. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of open murder and remains held without bail.
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