Clarice Yamaguchi, a 66-year-old Asian woman from Waipahu, Hawaii, was known by loved ones as a kind, sweet, and generous person. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, she spent her weekends supporting her three grandchildren at their dance, baseball, soccer, and cheer activities. She and her husband, Robert, had been married for 41 years.
On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve 2021, Clarice and Robert were in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the holidays, planning to do some shopping at the
Fashion Show mall before their flight home. Around 1:30 p.m., as they walked from their car in the mall’s parking garage, a silver BMW stopped nearby. A man armed with a semi-automatic handgun got out of the passenger side and tried to steal Clarice’s purse. Robert struggled with the assailant to protect his wife. During the confrontation, the gunman fired a single shot, striking Clarice in the neck. She was rushed to University Medical Center, where she died from her injuries.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detectives quickly determined the attack was part of a violent crime spree. Hours after Clarice was killed, the same assailants fatally shot a man named Hyo Sup Um in the parking garage of the Palace Station casino. Investigators identified the suspects as Jesani Carter, then 20, and Jordan Ruby, then 18, both from Southern California. Police said the pair had driven to Las Vegas to commit robberies. Using surveillance video and records linked to their silver BMW, police located the two men at Bally's Las Vegas hotel-casino and arrested them on the same day as the shootings. A search of their car revealed a handgun and clothing that matched descriptions from the crime scene.
Carter and Ruby were charged in connection with both murders and a series of armed robberies. In June 2023, the Yamaguchi family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Fashion Show Mall, alleging it had failed to provide adequate security. The criminal case later concluded when both men entered guilty pleas. Jesani Carter pleaded guilty to murder and robbery charges for his role in the crime spree. Jordan Ruby pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and expressed remorse for his actions at his sentencing hearing. In September 2026, a judge sentenced Jordan Ruby to 35 years to life in prison.
