Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Police Department
An 18-year-old murder suspect was arrested after police found his homework in a getaway car he used in a deadly robbery at a residence in Las Vegas.
According to the arrest report, Kamari Oliver has been charged with murder, robbery, burglary, and kidnapping after Natalie Manduley, 24, was found dead inside her home on March 25. Oliver was taken into custody at a Las Vegas Valley High School, Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
On Monday, the school district said in an emailed statement that it would not release the name of the school the 18-year-old attended or “confirm nor deny a student by that name.” The name of the school was omitted from the arrest report.
Police said Manduley was shot in a bedroom of the home during a home invasion and robbery in the 6400 block of Bright Nimbus Avenue. She reportedly lived there with a woman and her boyfriend. According to the arrest report, the victim’s boyfriend was known for “selling high-end jewelry on Instagram.”
The robbery occurred at around 2:10 p.m when three men and a woman broke into the home and demanded money, police said. A surviving victim was forced into a closet at gunpoint as one of the suspects repeatedly asked, “What’s in the safe?”
Manduley exchanged gunfire with the suspects, leaving her dead in one of the bedrooms.
When police arrived at the scene, they found more than 26 cartridges in the home.
The four suspects fled the scene in a white Mercedez-Benz while Manduley’s boyfriend was coming from the store at the time of the robbery. He then pursued them while smashing his car into the back of the getaway car, causing it to crash into a wall near the home. As a result, the suspects started shooting several times at the boyfriend, police said.
While searching the vehicle, police found $5,000 the boyfriend initially reported as stolen. Additionally, authorities confirmed that the red backpack they found was Oliver’s.
“Inside the backpack was a school Chrome Book and a notebook of schoolwork, specifically math work,” police said. “In the top right corner of the schoolwork, the name ‘Kamari Oliver’ and ‘5th Period’ were written.”
Investigators visited the 18-year-old’s school and learned that he had an unexcused absence for the last two periods on the same day as the killing, police said. Authorities arrested Oliver at the school on March 28. They questioned him after he had multiple injuries, including a burn, a laceration above his right eye, and a small abrasion on his nose.
When asked about the injuries, police said, “He stated he was in a fight at a party over the weekend. When confronted about the murder, Oliver stated he wanted a lawyer, and all questioning stopped.”
Oliver’s defense attorney, Dan Winder, advised the public to refrain from judging his client.
“I think the evidence is going to show he never went inside of that house,” Winder said. “He’s an 18-year-old with no prior criminal history as an adult or juvenile. We believe the facts are going to show he was not involved in any murder.”
Police said video surveillance footage captured Oliver disposing of the gun at the scene. He allegedly hitched a ride from a stranger shortly after the deadly robbery occurred. The witness told police that Oliver approached the vehicle and explained that he was beaten up and needed a ride.
The arrest report stated that the female suspect knew the victims and was at the home a day before the incident.