Murder Plot Leaves Ex-Pro Basketball Player Exposed

(RepublicanJournal.org) – A former minor-league basketball player is in police custody after allegedly keeping a woman against her will in Las Vegas and then murdering her. The apparent plot unraveled after the player’s girlfriend was reportedly the last person to see the victim alive. Questioning of the suspects led to investigators discovering the body in the desert in neighboring Henderson.

Police believe 27-year-old Chance Comanche, along with his 19-year-old girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, murdered 23-year-old Marayna Rodgers. The victim, who was a resident of Washington state, had been in Las Vegas with friends, but she went missing on December 5. Police haven’t released a motive for her murder.

People close to Rodgers noticed her disappearance quickly because of the kind of person she was. They said she would never abandon any of them, including her two dogs, which she’d taken with her on her trip. She also had a good career working as a medical assistant.

The Criminal Apprehension Team in Las Vegas arrested Harnden on December 13 and booked her into the Clark County Detention Center. The California FBI Apprehension Team arrested Comanche on December 15. The suspects were initially taken into custody on potential kidnapping charges, but a press release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) states that the Clark County District Attorney’s office planned to replace the previous counts with murder charges.

Comanche was a player for the Stockton Kings, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He had been in Henderson to play against the G League Ignite on December 5. The team issued a press release on December 15, after his arrest, announcing that they had dropped him from their roster.

The LVMPD is still investigating Rodgers’ murder. The Homicide Division is asking for anyone with potential information to come forward by contacting the department at 702-828-3521 or [email protected]. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can contact Nevada Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or www.crimestoppersofnv.com.