Bryan Angel Altamirano Solano, a 25-year-old Hispanic man from Nicaragua who was seeking asylum in the United States, was killed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the spring of 2023. A friend later told authorities that Altamirano Solano did not speak English.
In the early hours of May 15, 2023, Altamirano Solano met two women, 20-year-olds Erika Covington and Arionna Taylor, in the valet area of Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.
Hotel surveillance cameras showed the trio walking and laughing together toward Altamirano Solano’s fifth-floor room at approximately 2:36 a.m. Less than 15 minutes later, at 2:48 a.m., cameras captured Covington and Taylor running from the room, carrying what police believed was the victim’s bag. Around 11:30 a.m., a housekeeper entered the room for a routine cleaning and discovered Altamirano Solano’s body. The Clark County coroner’s office later determined he died from a single gunshot wound to his left chest and ruled his death a homicide.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department used surveillance footage to identify Covington and Taylor. Further investigation revealed that the two women were cousins. A slug found in Altamirano Solano’s room matched one from a separate crime involving Taylor, and Covington’s Instagram account showed her at Caesars Palace on the night of the shooting wearing the same clothes seen in the video.
Police arrested Covington and Taylor on May 17. During a search of an apartment, investigators found the clothes worn during the crime and a Glock magazine. When questioned by police, Covington requested a lawyer. Taylor claimed she had a bad memory from a previous car accident and could not recall the events of that night, telling detectives they needed to "do their job."
Both women were charged with murder and robbery. Initially pleading not guilty, Covington and Taylor later accepted a plea deal. They pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon.
A sentencing hearing for both women was held on January 23, 2025. In April 2025, Bryan Angel Altamirano Solano’s parents filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Caesars Entertainment in Clark County District Court.
