Nearly five years after a New Year’s Eve robbery spree left two people dead in Las Vegas, the case has shifted from a potential death-penalty trial to sentencing hearings. Jesani Carter and Jordan Ruby have pleaded guilty in agreements filed this week, bringing a long-running prosecution closer to its final chapter.
According to News 3 Las Vegas, Carter, 24, pleaded guilty to 13 counts, including the murders of Hyu Sup “Richard” Um and Clarice Yamaguchi. Ruby, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts: Yamaguchi’s murder and attempted murder, agreeing to serve 35 years to life behind bars.
Two Parking Garages, Three Shooting Scenes
Authorities alleged that Carter and Ruby drove from Southern California to Las Vegas on Dec. 31, 2021, and shot Yamaguchi during an attempted purse snatching at the Fashion Show Mall parking garage. Hours later, police said, Um was shot and killed at the Palace Station parking garage, while a third person was targeted during an attempted robbery at Sahara Las Vegas but was not struck.
Yamaguchi, 66, was visiting Las Vegas from Hawaii with her husband when she was killed, according to KTNV. Earlier coverage described the shootings as part of a broader string of armed robberies that unfolded across Strip-area parking garages during the holiday weekend.
The investigation initially focused on a silver BMW that police said was connected to the Fashion Show shooting and an earlier robbery at the Wynn, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Carter and Ruby were arrested in January 2022 and remained tied up in the court system as prosecutors pursued capital charges.
The Death Penalty Is Off The Table
Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty for both defendants, but the agreements filed during the week of July 27 end that possibility for Carter. His prison term will be argued at sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 8, while Ruby’s agreement calls for a sentence of 35 years to life.
The pleas resolve the question of whether the defendants will be convicted, but the punishment phase is still ahead. For victims’ families and a Las Vegas community that watched the case stretch across nearly five years, the next major milestone will be the sentencing hearing rather than a capital trial.
