In the early morning hours of August 17, 2025, the North Las Vegas Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire on Mary Dee Avenue. After extinguishing the flames engulfing a white Lexus, firefighters made a grim discovery inside. The body of 32-year-old David Weaver, a Black / African American male, was found in the passenger seat. The initial scene sparked a homicide investigation as detectives from the North Las Vegas Police Department began to unravel the events leading to the father of
two's death.
The Clark County Coroner's Office later confirmed that Weaver had not died from the fire but from a single gunshot wound to his head. His death was officially ruled a homicide. During the investigation of the charred vehicle, detectives found a cartridge casing and an incendiary device, referred to as a "wick," which was used to start the fire. Friends of Weaver reported that he had received a disturbing phone call on the night he was killed and left his home shortly after. Surveillance footage from the neighborhood captured someone getting out of the driver's side of the Lexus, wiping down the vehicle, and leaving as smoke began to fill the car.
The investigation led police to two individuals. Phone records showed that Weaver was with Marcella Jean Patterson and Myron Jackson in the hours before his death. On September 4, police located Patterson and Jackson near the Silver Sevens casino. As authorities moved in to make an arrest, a barricade situation ensued with Jackson inside a vehicle. After approximately two hours, Jackson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators believe he was the one who shot Weaver and set the car on fire.
Following the standoff, police arrested 42-year-old Marcella Jean Patterson. She was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and charged with open murder with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, and third-degree arson. According to reports, Patterson admitted to driving another suspect away from the burning SUV. She has been deemed ineligible for bail as the investigation into the circumstances surrounding David Weaver's murder continues.
