Kayla Alery, Las Vegas woman recently released from parole randomly shoots dead man sitting in car outside apartment complex in failed burglary.
A woman covered in tattoos accused of ‘randomly shooting’ dead a man sitting in his work van outside a Las Vegas area apartment complex was recently released on parole following an arson conviction.
Kayla Alery, 27, was arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the shooting death of a man sitting in his work van at an apartment complex near Spring Mountain and Fort Apache earlier that afternoon. Police said the shooting appeared to be random and that there was ‘no indication at all’ that the victim, Raul Cardoza, 41, had any prior interaction with the suspect.
Officers provided medical aid until medics arrived and took the man to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Police said the victim, a carpet cleaner was at the apartment complex to provide an estimate to a resident.
Previous criminal arrest
Through the investigation, detectives learned the victim was sitting in a van when an unknown person in dark clothing with facial tattoos approached the van and fired a shot, hitting the victim. The suspect then ran away.
Police identified Alery as the suspect and found her near the scene before arresting her KTNV reported. Officials surmised the woman appeared to be burglarizing vehicles in the apartment complex, where she did not live.
A criminal complaint filed in Henderson Township Justice Court in September, 2022 indicates that Alery was charged with four crimes then: third-degree arson, fourth-degree arson, ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and obstructing a public officer.
Details of Alery’s arson arrest stated Henderson police being called on September 23, 2022 in reference to a woman attempting to set a vehicle on fire at an apartment building. Officers arrived on the scene and found a crowd gathered around a subject lying prone in the parking lot according to FOX5Vegas.
Released after serving minimum 14 months
Multiple people present pointed to the suspect, Alery, advising police that she had attempted to set a vehicle in the parking lot on fire. When officers took her into custody, she falsely provided the name of a 52-year-old man when asked for identification. She then said she wanted a lawyer and refused to answer any questions
A lighter, a Halloween mask, gloves, and a firearm were booked into evidence.
Alery was taken to Henderson Hospital, where she later revealed her true identity. A criminal history check revealed an active warrant for domestic battery as well as several prior arrests, including coercion with force, domestic battery, DUI, burglary and grand larceny of a gun.
She entered a guilty plea to the third and fourth-degree arson charges in Clark County District Court. Alery was sentenced to between 14 and 36 months on each charge, to be served concurrently.
Nevada Department of Corrections information shows that Alery served the minimum 14-month sentence and was paroled in December, 2023.
Alery has an initial appearance in Clark County Justice Court scheduled for March 28. She is facing five charges, including open murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
