When police in Henderson, Nevada, pulled over a Mercedes full of teenagers allegedly driving recklessly last Friday, they never suspected the routine traffic stop would turn into a murder investigation.
After learning the car was suspected to be stolen, however, police took the group of teens in for questioning, authorities say.
That’s when one of them, 17-year-old Kody Harlan, revealed he had witnessed a murder earlier that day.
Williams tells PEOPLE that Harlan led investigators to an abandoned house where Minkler’s body was found stuffed in a downstairs closet. The boy had been covered with a plastic sheet with the words “f— Matt” written on the closet door.
“Clearly they were out to get him. They had ill feelings toward him,” Williams says, noting that he believes the Russian roulette storyline was a coverup.
Hours after Minkler was killed, Caruso and Harlan allegedly returned to the home to clean up the scene and hide evidence, with Harlan dragging Minkler’s body downstairs to the closet where it was later found, Williams says.
“This case will stick with the detectives just because of the coldness and the callousness of the boys,” he tells PEOPLE.
It is unclear whether Caruso or Harlan have retained attorneys or have entered pleas.
“They’re so unrepentant on this and they just don’t seem very remorseful,” Williams says, “and what’s haunting and chilling about this case is that they’re just kids.”
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
Henderson Police Department
‘Bad Blood’?
The shooting did indeed occur during a party at the abandoned house, as Harlan had allegedly described, Williams says. It is unknown how many teens attended the event but drugs are believed to have been involved.
In one of the videos, which were recovered from Caruso’s cell phone, the teen can be heard after the slaying saying, “Bro, I just caught a body,” using slang for killing someone, according to police.
In another clip, Caruso is seen attempting to wash his shoes while a second person — who is out of frame — asks what to do with the body, authorities say.
It is unclear who the Mercedes belongs to, Williams says. The suspected murder weapon, which was later found in the vehicle, was also stolen.
Police say the teens were taking a joy ride when they were pulled over later Friday night, after Minkler was killed.
“It’s really bizarre,” Williams says. “It sounds like a video game, and it is truly tragic because they were friends and we don’t know what the reasoning was. But clearly it appears there was some bad blood.”
A Mother Mourning
Speaking to theLas Vegas Review-Journal, Minkler’s’s mother, Jamie Shanklin,says she never believed her son’s death was an accidentand that the gathering at the abandoned home was a setup.
“Jaiden had a beef’ with my son,” Shanklin told the paper. “Jaiden never told him. He pretended they were friends.”
Shanklin recalled that on the day of her son’s death, as he left his Las Vegas home to meet his friends, he said, “Tell mom I love her.”
“He was a good kid and had a kind soul,” Shanklin said. “He didn’t even know how much he touched the world.”
“We are beyond devastated and hurting more than imaginable,” a relative wrote on the page. “We will never get to see that beautiful smile or get those loving Matt hugs that just brighten our days.”
Officer Williams tells PEOPLE he expects additional charges to be filed against Harlan and Caruso.
On Wednesday night, a third teen — who has not been named because he has not been charged as an adult — was arrested in the case,according to theReview-Journal. He faces charges “along the lines” of destruction of evidence and accessory to murder.
Anyone else who was at the party is urged to contact police at 702-267-5000.
“They may feel nervous that they’re facing charges, but they’re not the ones that pulled the trigger and that’s why its important for them to help the case and — more importantly — clear their conscience,” Williams says.
source: people.com
