Chance Comanche, a 27-year-old former NBA G League player, is now facing murder and kidnapping charges. According to PEOPLE, Comanche and 19-year-old Sakari Harnden are accused of kidnapping and murdering a woman in Las Vegas in early December.
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More Details Regarding The Murder
According to Daily Mail, a 23-year-old Washington woman named Marayna Rodgers was visiting Las Vegas with her boyfriend on December 1. The outlet reports that the couple had plans of “engaging in prostitution.”
CBS News reports that Harnden and Rodgers were friends, and Harnden conspired with Comanche to lure Rodgers from her boyfriend.
Comanche allegedly posed as a prostitution client and called Rodgers to an undisclosed meeting area.
According to Las Vegas Metropolitan authorities, the 27-year-old admitted to strangling the woman with an HDMI chord and help from Harnden.
“While Chance used the cord to strangle Marayna, Sakari [had] both of her hands on the neck of Marayna choking her… Chance said once he stopped strangling Marayna he released the tension in the cord, but Sakari continued choking her,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan’s arrest warrant reads.
Once the pair deemed Rodgers “unresponsive,” they allegedly drove around with the woman’s body in their car’s front seat. Comanche and Harnden placed Rodgers in a ditch and covered her body with rocks.
The following day, Harnden reported Rodgers’ to police disappearance while Comanche allegedly instructed her on how to speak to authorities about the matter.
“You got this boo,” Comanche allegedly texted Harnden. “This the post game [sic] interview. Just smile and wave.”
According to Daily Mail, authorities have made “several attempts” to find Marayna Rodgers’s body. However, it has yet to be located and recovered.
Furthermore, the 23-year-old’s cause of death has not been released.
Chance Comanche, a former NBA G league player for the Stockton Kings, told police he and his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend devised a plan to lure a woman away from her friends in Las Vegas to kill her. pic.twitter.com/1oeeL8kWC7
— Scripps News (@scrippsnews) December 20, 2023
The Pair’s Arrest, Charges & Chance Comanche’s Recent Court Appearance
According to PEOPLE, Harnden was arrested in Las Vegas last week. Meanwhile, Comanche was arrested in Sacramento, California, on Friday, December 15.
Both were initially hit with kidnapping charges.
According to Daily Mail, Chance Comanche made his first court appearance on Tuesday, December 19. The 27-year-old agreed to be extradited to Nevada for the remainder of the case.
Former NBA League Player Chance Comanche Waives extradition to return to Nevada to face kidnapping and murder allegations.
Sacramento County (California) Main Jail, Court Department 62.
Footage by T. Ray Harvey pic.twitter.com/wiUI8MSJqC
— California Black Media (@CaliforniaBlac2) December 19, 2023
Additionally, Comanche has since alleged that Harnden was behind the plot to kill Rodgers.
“We really have nothing to say,” Michael Goldstein, Comanche’s lawyer, told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re going to let the courts deal it. We’re going to deal with it in Nevada.”
🚨 A former NBA G-League player CHANCE COMANCHE admits.
Chance admits to strangling a woman in Las Vegas saying he used an HDMI cable cord to kill her. pic.twitter.com/EjmlCZ7goN
— NO CONTENT (@MCITY_24) December 20, 2023
According to The Sacramento Bee, both Chance Comanche and Sakari Harnden have been charged with murder and first-degree kidnapping. The outlet also reports that both individuals are being held without bail.
Comanche was released from the Stockton Kings, a G League affiliate of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, when he was arrested for the murder of Maryana Rodgers.
