Chance Comanche, a former NBA G League player accused of a murder plot with his ex-girlfriend, will appear in court in Las Vegas on Tuesday after being transferred from a prison in Sacramento, California.
The 27-year-old, who played for the Stockton Kings before his Dec. 15 arrest in Sacramento, arrived at the Clark County Detention Center on Sunday and is scheduled for an initial appearance at 7:30 a.m. local time, jail and court records show.
Comanche's attorney, Gary Guymon, declined comment Monday ahead of the court hearing.
Comanche's former girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, 19, is also jailed in Las Vegas awaiting a separate preliminary hearing Wednesday on charges related to the disappearance and death of Marayna Rodgers, 23, of Lynnwood, Washington.
Police in Las Vegas said Rodgers, a medical assistant, was choked to death early Dec. 6. Her remains were later found in a roadside ditch in the suburb of Henderson.
In footage captured by Sacramento's KCRA, the 6-foot-2 Comanche is seen during his first hearing
Chance Comanche (left) and 19-year-old Sakari Harnden (right) are charged with the murder and kidnapping of 23-year-old Marayna Rodgers, who went missing on December 6
Marayna Rogers, 23, of Washington disappeared on December 6 while visiting Las Vegas
Comanche, a 6-foot-1 power forward and center, was cut after his arrest by Stockton, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. The team played Henderson Ignite in the G League on December 5.
In footage captured last month by Sacramento's KCRAComanche is seen in a cramped cell as he waives extradition to Nevada.
Comanche plotted the murder during a G League game, posed as a sex work client to lure Rodgers to his death, buried her body in the Nevada desert and eventually made a full confession to police, according to the warrant obtained by DailyMail. com.
In a text message obtained by police, Comanche shared a coffin emoji with his 19-year-old alleged accomplice, Sakari Harnden.
'I could break her neck or just strangle her [expletive]Comanche reportedly wrote in a group chat obtained by police.
Rodgers was a medical assistant visiting the Las Vegas area from Washington state
Comanche and Harnden are charged with the murder and kidnapping of Rodgers, who went missing on December 6 and whose strangled remains were later discovered in Henderson, Nevada.
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 over a year ago on a dating app, and although their relationship lasted only a few months, they have stayed in touch, according to police.
Police say Harnden and Rodgers were friends in Washington state, where the latter worked as a medical assistant. However, Harnden recently became upset with Rodgers for telling others that the 19-year-old had implicated Harnden's own ex-boyfriend in a double homicide in California, according to police.
Rodgers and her boyfriend, identified as Tremaine, traveled to Las Vegas from Washington on Dec. 1 with the intention of “engaging in prostitution,” the police report said.
When Harnden learned of their trip, he allegedly plotted with Comanche to lure Rodgers away from Tremaine and her other friends in Las Vegas so they could kill her.
Las Vegas police describe Rodgers' murder in chilling detail
Comanche posed as a prostitution client or “trick” and called Rodgers to a meeting place, where, with Harnden's help, he strangled her with an HDMI cable, police allege. The pair allegedly dumped Rodgers' body in Henderson.
“While Chance was using the cord to strangle Marayna, Sakari placed both of her hands on Marayna's neck and strangled her,” according to the warrant obtained by DailyMail.com. Chance said that once he stopped choking Marayna, he released the tension in the cord, but Sakari continued to strangle her.
“When Marayna became unresponsive, both Sakari and Chance began checking her neck for a pulse and touching her to see if she was still breathing. Chance referred to fluid coming out of Marayna's mouth, which led them to believe Marayna was dead.”
The pair then drove around looking for a place to dump the body before eventually finding a ditch and covering Rodgers' body with rocks, police said.
“Both Sakari and Chance removed Marayna from the car and placed her in the ditch and began covering her body with ricks,” the warrant said. '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 in Sakari's car along with Marayna's other belongings.”
Rodgers' body has not yet been located, according to police, who say they have made several attempts to find the body.
Rodgers' cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Comanche can be seen dunking for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League on December 9
Messages between Comanche and Harnden on the Telegram application allegedly show that the former professional basketball player instructs his teenage accomplice on how to talk to the police about Rodgers' disappearance, which was actually reported by Harnden himself on December 6. personal report on December 7)
“You got this boo,” Comanche allegedly wrote to Harnden. “This is the post game [sic] interview. Just smile and wave.”
Harnden and Comanche are charged with open murder.
Comanche played in only one NBA game for the Portland Trail Blazers and had only recently joined the Kings' G League affiliate.