On August 16, 2014, 17-year-old DeMario Charles Hughes lost his life to gun violence in Las Vegas, Nevada. The incident occurred in the early morning hours near the intersection of Lake Mead and Jones boulevards.
The investigation led by the Las Vegas police identified Stacey Annette Thomas, who was 27 years old at the time, as the primary suspect in Hughes' death. Thomas was described as a 'heavyset black female' and was linked to the crime through a witness account.
A witness reported seeing a woman matching Thomas's description leaning over Hughes' body before getting into a small red car and driving away. The witness managed to note down the license plate number of the car, which belonged to Thomas.
Thomas had a prior history of domestic violence and was identified by police as a person of interest in the shooting. She was arrested on Tuesday following the incident and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on an open murder charge. According to the arrest report, Thomas and Hughes, who were in a romantic relationship, were driving together with Thomas's 4-year-old son when they began fighting in the car. The altercation escalated into physical violence, with Hughes hitting Thomas in the face. Thomas retaliated and pulled into a parking lot on Ilanos Lane, where the fight continued inside the vehicle. During the struggle, Thomas claimed that Hughes reached for a gun, but she managed to gain control of it. She admitted to pointing the gun at Hughes, which then 'went off' four times. Hughes opened the car door and fell out, succumbing to his injuries.
Following the shooting, Thomas disposed of the car and took her son to a relative who was visiting Las Vegas. She later contacted the detective investigating Hughes' death to provide her account of the events but did not turn herself in as promised. Instead, she planned to see her son in California one last time before surrendering, but she never followed through with this plan.
Thomas was eventually apprehended and scheduled to appear in court on the Thursday following her arrest. Her arrest marked a significant development in the investigation into Hughes' tragic death, providing some closure for the family and community affected by the incident.
