Edna Reyes, a 23-year-old Hispanic woman, was a talented musician who played the guitar and ukulele and was the mother of a young child. In the early morning hours of July 29, 2020, the same day as her daughter's birthday, she and 24-year-old Dae'shawn King were shot in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two were in a silver Toyota RAV4 on McWilliams Avenue when they met with a man around 12:30 a.m.
After a conversation that lasted about seven minutes, the vehicle began to drive away, and the man opened fire, shooting into the back of the SUV. The vehicle continued moving until it collided with a wall on North Eastern Avenue. King was found deceased from multiple gunshot wounds in the driver's seat. Reyes, also suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, was rushed to University Medical Center, where she died.
The investigation was aided by surveillance footage from the area, which showed the gunman wearing all black and a pair of sneakers with a distinctive cross pattern on the front. Police found five 9 mm casings at the shooting scene. Later that day, a witness contacted authorities, stating that 22-year-old Brian Dewakuku had confessed to killing two people during a "bad drug deal" and had been seen cleaning a firearm. An examination of Reyes's phone records also revealed she had been communicating with Dewakuku via Facebook Messenger about a "delivery" shortly before she was killed.
Based on the evidence, police arrested Brian Dewakuku on the same day as the shooting. During the arrest, officers found a 9 mm handgun with an obliterated serial number in his waistband. A subsequent search of his apartment produced a pair of Nike sneakers with the same distinct cross pattern seen in the surveillance video. Dewakuku was charged with two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
During court proceedings, Dewakuku’s defense attorney stated that his client had a serious drug problem and that the shooting stemmed from a drug transaction that went wrong. The families of the victims strongly disputed this characterization. King's mother, Shameka Jackson, said her son had just gotten off work and was simply giving Reyes a ride. Both of King's parents described him as a promising young man with a bright future. Reyes's mother, Sindia Reyes, shared that her daughter was a gifted musician with a young child who now had to grow up without her.
Brian Dewakuku pleaded guilty to the murders. On March 4, 2022, District Judge Michelle Leavitt sentenced him to 34 years to life in prison. When asked if he had anything to say in court, Dewakuku responded, "I don't got nothing to say."
