Video | YouTube couple ‘wanted to make popular video’ - so she shot him point-blank in the chest and killed him
A Minnesota woman charged in the fatal shooting of her boyfriend told authorities it was a video stunt gone wrong.
Monalisa Perez, of Halstad, was charged Wednesday with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Pedro Ruiz III.
According to a criminal complaint, the 19-year-old Perez told authorities Ruiz wanted to make a YouTube video of her shooting a bullet into a book he was holding against his chest. She says she fired from about 30cm away. The gun was a 0.50-calibre Desert Eagle pistol , one of the most powerful handguns ever made.
Authorities say Ruiz died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
The victim’s aunt, Claudia Ruiz, tells WDAY-TV that the couple played pranks and put them on YouTube. Some are still available online.
In a tweet posted on Monday apparently just before the killing, Perez wrote: : “Me and Pedro are probably going to shoot one of the most dangerous videos ever. HIS idea not MINE.”
Perez was granted a public defender and released on US$7,000 bail.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
