In a tragic turn of events on August 17, 2023, Marillorky Tamayo Cruz, a 34-year-old Hispanic female, lost her life in Las Vegas, Nevada. The devastating incident unfolded just hours after a divorce hearing that awarded her custody of her children and the family home. Her estranged husband, Roidan Mendoza, unable to accept the court's decision, sought a violent and final form of revenge.
The day had started with a sense of victory for Marillorky, who had been granted the house, a truck,
and primary custody of her children. However, this legal resolution fueled her ex-husband's rage. Mendoza first went to the family home and cut the gas line to the stove before proceeding to the apartment complex on South Jones Boulevard where Marillorky was with her family. He shot through the front door multiple times to gain entry.
Once inside, chaos and terror ensued. Marillorky and her daughter tried to hide in a bedroom, but Mendoza kicked the door down. He then shot his ex-wife in front of her children. In the midst of the attack, Marillorky's mother and her sister's ex-boyfriend were also shot and injured. In a remarkable act of bravery, Marillorky's teenage daughter stabbed Mendoza in the back in an attempt to protect her family.
After the brutal attack, Mendoza fled the scene but later turned himself in to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department headquarters, where he confessed to the killing. He was subsequently arrested and treated for the stab wound. Pleading guilty to first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, Roidan Mendoza was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
