A 35-year-old man, Jason Kendall, has turned himself in to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Headquarters and is facing murder charges in connection with the death of 30-year-old Larissa Garcia, a sex worker who went by the names “Andrea” and “Dallas” online.
Garcia was found unresponsive in a hotel room at the Palms Casino Resort on June 12, and despite initial indications that she had overdosed, doctors later discovered that she had been the victim of a battery. Video surveillance showed Kendall meeting Garcia in the lobby around 4 p.m. and leaving the room alone an hour later.
Detectives later found messages between Kendall and Garcia on her phone and a web history indicating that Kendall had viewed her escort advertisement online. When questioned by police, Kendall requested an attorney and declined to provide further information, but was noted to have injuries on his back and shoulder.
Garcia was hospitalized and placed on life support, but ultimately died on June 21. The Clark County coroner’s office has not released any information about the cause of her death, citing confidentiality due to not being able to locate her next of kin.
Kendall made a surprise confession to police on June 18, stating that he had paid Garcia $2,000 for sex and then “snapped” after she requested additional payment. He claimed that he hit her in the face and strangled her for 10 minutes before having sex with her and then leaving the hotel room.
On Friday, Kendall returned to police headquarters to report an assault, where he reportedly confessed to strangling and sexually assaulting Garcia. He was booked on charges of open murder, sexual assault, and battery by strangulation to commit sexual assault.
Kendall is being held without bail and is set to appear in court again on Tuesday.
