Woman charged with murder in shooting of boyfriend
A man is dead and his girlfriend is facing a second-degree murder charge following a night of drinking at a Las Vegas residence, according to police.
Las Vegas Police were called to a home in the 2400 block of Jessie Lee Lane Oct. 17 by Jennifer L. Doane, 50, who told police she’d shot and killed her boyfriend who’d punched her earlier in the evening.
LVPD Deputy Chief of Police Martin Gallegos identified the man killed as 42-year-old Nickolas J. Wells of Las Vegas.
According to an LVPD statement of probable cause, officers responding to the home that evening were greeted by Doane who was still on the phone with police dispatch. Inside the house, officers located Wells “lying motionless on the couch.” Officers checked for a pulse but were unable to detect one.
Doane told police that she and Wells had been dating for about three years, and that starting about a year ago, they’d had some “domestic violence incidents.” She said that she and Wells started drinking vodka around 5 p.m., and that she’d been upset because earlier, Wells had punched her in the stomach. Officers photographed a bruise on her midsection and a bruise on her inner thigh.
During an interview with police, Doane said that while she and Wells were drinking, he retrieved a revolver from a bedroom, returned to the couch and pointed the gun at his head. She said Wells then commanded her to pull the trigger, shouting, “Pull the trigger, B—-. Do it! Do it!” Doane then allegedly reached over and pulled the trigger.
After obtaining a search warrant for the home, officers located a pistol and a “large amount” of empty vodka bottles. Officers determined Wells was killed by a single gunshot wound under his chin that they believe traveled “at an upward angle.”
Doane was arrested and booked into the San Miguel County Detention center on one count of second-degree murder.
At an Oct. 18 hearing, Judge Christian Montaño set bond for Doane at $200,000. At the time of this writing, Doane remained in custody at SMCDC. She is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court on Oct. 29 for an arraignment.
