Suspect in livestreamed Las Vegas Strip shooting could face death penalty

Noble Brigham, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Jul 17, 2025

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LAS VEGAS — Prosecutors said Thursday that they would consider the death penalty for the suspect in a shooting that claimed two lives in front of the Bellagio hotel.

Manuel Ruiz, 41, was indicted last week on two counts of murder with use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors have accused him of killing Rodney and Tanisha Finley in the June 8 shooting.

The shooting was livestreamed, and police have said it stemmed from a social media feud. Ruiz and Rodney Finley were both YouTubers.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Mercer said in court that the case would be reviewed for the death penalty. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson previously said prosecutors would consider seeking death for Ruiz.

Public defender Violet Radosta said she had filed a motion to preserve evidence in Justice Court and planned to file something similar in Ruiz’s current District Court case.

Video of the shooting, apparently livestreamed by the Finleys moments before their deaths, has circulated on social media. The recording showed a woman confronting a man on the sidewalk near the Fountains of Bellagio. The shooter pulled out a handgun and fired at someone off-screen as the woman screamed and multiple gunshots rang out.

Ruiz is scheduled back in court Aug. 4.