Terrifying moment as two women walk hand in hand with 26-year-old murder victim to his hotel room at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas before he is shot dead minutes later
- Surveillance footage from Caesars Palace showed two murder suspects walking and laughing with their victim less than 15 minutes before he was killed
- The suspects, who are cousins, could be seen escaping the victim’s room and were later recorded escaping in a stolen car, police said
- One of the defendants told police that she could not remember the night in question due to a previous car accident in which she was involved
Security cameras at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip captured the moment two suspects walked hand in hand and laughed with the man they allegedly killed just minutes later.
Newly released footage from KLAS shows Erika Covington and Arionna Taylor, both 20, with Bryan Altamirano-Solano, 25, in the early hours of May 15. The suspects met Altamirano-Solano at the hotel and casino’s valet before agreeing to escort him to his room.
The trio is seen walking down a hallway to the victim’s room at 2:36 am. Just 14 minutes later, Covington and Taylor were videotaped walking back down the same hallway, this time with what authorities believed to be Altamirano-Solano’s bag.
Covington and Taylor were charged with murder and burglary earlier this month. The victim was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest.
The suspects were linked to the crime thanks to a snail found in Altamirano-Solano’s room. That bullet matched one found in another crime Taylor was involved in, police said.
Erika Covington, 20, pictured left, and her cousin Arionna Taylor, also 20, pictured right, appear cheerful following their arrest
Victim Bryan Angel Altamirano Solano, 25, was from Nicaragua and sought refuge in the United States
Further investigation from Covington’s Instagram page revealed that she was at Caesars on the night of the shooting and was wearing the same clothes seen in the video.
Police noted in their report that Covington and Taylor were tagged in the same Instagram posts. The couple are cousins.
Covington and Taylor were arrested at an apartment on May 17. During a search of the house, investigators found the clothing shown in the video and a Glock magazine.
Covington told police she was not at Caesars the night of the crime, but later changed her story when she was shown photos from surveillance footage. She then requested a lawyer and ended the interview.
Taylor said she had a bad memory due to a car accident she was involved in and said the only things she remembered from said day were spending time with her mother since it It was Mother’s Day and that she then went to bed with Covington.
The suspect also reportedly told officers that she had no further memories of the day and that “investigators needed to do their job.”
Shortly after the shooting, police said surveillance video showed the couple getting into a stolen white car in front of the Linq Hotel and leaving the area.
In their first appearance in court, where they pleaded not guilty, the two suspects appeared less gloating
The couple shown here are walking in Altamirano-Solano shortly before being shot
A completely different woman had booked the room. This woman told police she had met Altamirano-Solano a week earlier through a texting app. They arranged to have sex at the hotel, she left around 1am to return home, police said.
The woman said the victim was from Nicaragua and did not speak English. His body was not discovered until about eight hours after the shooting. He was found by a hotel maid.
The suspects said they were unable to communicate with Altamirano-Solano and had to use a translator app to communicate.
Meanwhile, Covington and Taylor have both pleaded not guilty to the crime.