Las Vegas Palms Place Homicide Inquiry Focuses on Possible Murder-Suicide

Posted on: August 3, 2021, 07:48h. 

Last updated on: August 4, 2021, 09:18h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Two women were found Tuesday on a hotel bed shot dead in a room at Las Vegas’ Palms Place Hotel & Spa, part of the Palms Casino Resort. Their deaths may be a murder-suicide, Metro police revealed.

Autopsy results on the two women will be a key part of the inquiry
Multiple police cars line up near Las Vegas’ Palms Place Hotel & Spa. The property was the site of a possible murder-suicide Tuesday. Two women were found dead on a hotel room bed. (Image: Ozkar Palomo/KTNV)

The couple also may have been “at least somewhat romantically involved,” based on a note found in the room, Las Vegas Metro Police Lt. Ray Spencer revealed.

What we believe from evidence inside the room [is] that this is going to be a murder-suicide investigation,” Spencer added in a press conference held near the hotel.

He explained it was about 3 pm when Metro police were first notified about the deaths at the upscale hotel, which is located near the Las Vegas Strip.

A short time earlier, security guards from the hotel tried to enter the room because the two guests failed to check out at the required time. Check-out time for all Palms’ guests is 11:00 am.

But in the afternoon, the security latch remained fastened from the inside of the hotel room. The door could not be opened from the hallway.

The guards then called hotel maintenance workers, and with their help, the door eventually was forced open.

Dead Bodies on Bed

That is when the employees saw the two dead bodies. Both women were Black and believed to be in their mid-to-late 30s, Spencer said. They may have been local residents, he added.

Based on initial information, at least one of the two was killed sometime after 3 am Tuesday. But one of the two was still alive about 5 am Tuesday.

Police also are looking into whether they died at the same time. Police will also review hotel video to help put events together. Also, autopsy results on the two women will be a key part of the inquiry. The local coroner’s office additionally will formally identify the women.

The crime led many Metro officers to respond to the hotel. Traffic was diverted from the nearby area.

Anyone with information on the deaths may call Metro police at 702-828-3521.

Rapper Killed in Hotel in 2014

In an unrelated violent incident seven years ago, rapper Evan Plunkett, 25, was fatally shot during a fight in the Palm’s Fantasy Tower. The struggle took place while a music video was being filmed.

Jim Johnson of Las Vegas was sentenced to between 18 months and eight years in prison for the crime. He claimed it was an accident and he was unaware the gun was loaded.

It accidentally went off in a struggle, Johnson said. Initially, it was being used as a prop in the music video.