On the evening of September 21, 2014, a violent home invasion in a west Las Vegas valley neighborhood resulted in the death of 48-year-old Monty Gibson. The Black or African American man was found deceased in the doorway of his residence on the 1600 block of Broadmere Street, near Charleston Boulevard and Hualapai Way, having sustained gunshot wounds to his head and chest. The incident began shortly after 8 p.m.
when two armed men kicked in the front door of the home Gibson shared with a roommate and opened fire.
A gun battle erupted inside the house as one of the residents returned fire at the intruders. In the exchange, Gibson was fatally wounded. The two suspects fled the scene, but police located one of them, a 32-year-old man, nearby suffering from a gunshot wound. He was subsequently taken to University Medical Center. Investigators quickly determined that the deadly home invasion was not a random act of violence.
The investigation revealed a targeted plot, leading to the indictment of four individuals. Authorities identified Gibson's roommate, Joey Larsen, as the intended target of the robbery. The accused included Larsen's estranged wife, Summer Larsen and her boyfriend, David Murphy. Prosecutors stated that Murphy orchestrated the home invasion, enlisting Jorge Mendoza and Joseph "Joey" Laguna to carry out the robbery in search of cash and marijuana.
In October 2016, a jury convicted Jorge Mendoza of first-degree murder, while David Murphy and Joey Laguna were found guilty of second-degree murder along with other charges. Mendoza, identified as the gunman, and Murphy, the planner, were both sentenced to serve 23 years to life in prison. Laguna received a sentence of 27 years to life. Summer Rice, who testified for the prosecution, pleaded guilty for her role in plotting the robbery and was sentenced to five years of probation. Another man, Robert Figueroa, also pleaded guilty for his involvement in the case.
