Suspects in Caesars Palace murder recorded walking hand in hand with victim minutes before death
Chilling moment as two women walk hand in hand with murder victim, 26, to his hotel room at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas before he was shot dead minutes later
- Caesars Palace surveillance footage captured 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 fleeing the victim’s room and were later recorded escaping in a stolen car, police say
- One of the suspects told police she couldn’t remember the night in question because of a previous car accident she was involved in
Security cameras at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas strip captured the moment when two suspects walked hand in hand and laughed with the man they were accused of murdering minutes later.
The recently released images of CLASS 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 in the valet parking of the hotel and casino before agreeing to accompany him to his room.
The trio can be seen walking down a hallway to the victim’s room at 2:36 a.m. Just 14 minutes later, video captured Covington and Taylor running back down the same hallway, this time carrying what authorities believe was 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 slug found in Altamirano-Solano’s room. That bullet matched one found in another crime involving Taylor, police said.
Erika Covington, 20, pictured left, and her cousin, Arionna Taylor, also 20, pictured right, looking in high spirits following their arrest
The victim Bryan Angel Altamirano Solano, 25, was from Nicaragua and sought refuge in the US.
Further investigation of Covington’s Instagram page revealed that she was at Caesars on the night of the shooting, 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 pair are cousins.
Covington and Taylor were arrested at an apartment on May 17, during a search of their home, detectives found the clothing seen in the video, as well as a Glock magazine.
Covington told police she was not at Caesars the night of the crime, but later changed her story when her surveillance footage was shown to her. She then asked for a lawyer and ended the interview.
Taylor said she had a bad memory as a result of a car accident she was involved in and said the only thing she remembered about the day in question was spending time with her mother as it was Mother’s Day, and after that went to bed at Covington’s house. .
The suspect also allegedly told the officers that she had no other memories of the day and that the “detectives should do their job.”
Shortly after the shooting, police said surveillance video caught the couple getting into a stolen white car outside the Linq hotel and leaving the area.
The two suspects seemed less cheerful during their first appearance in court in which they pleaded not guilty
The pair shown here walks Altamirano-Solano just before he was shot dead
A completely separate woman had booked the room. That woman told police she met Altamirano-Solano a week earlier through a text message app. They met up at the hotel for sex, she left around 1 a.m. to return home, police said.
The woman said the victim is from Nicaragua and did not speak English. His body was not discovered until about eight hours after the shooting. He was found by a member of the hotel’s housekeeping staff.
The suspects said they were unable to communicate with Altamirano-Solano and had to use a translation app to communicate.
Meanwhile, Covington and Taylor have pleaded not guilty to the crime.