Las Vegas, NV – A Nevada man has been sentenced to life in prison for the execution-style killing of his estranged wife in front of their children following a family court hearing. The tragic incident occurred in August 2023, when Roidan Mendoza, 40, of Las Vegas, murdered his former spouse, Marillorky Tamayo Cruz, after losing custody of their children.
The Incident: A Vicious Murder Following a Family Court Hearing
The horrific killing unfolded just hours after Mendoza’s family court hearing, where Tamayo Cruz was awarded custody of their children and the family home. The couple had been in the process of getting a divorce, and Mendoza was reportedly “upset” about the loss of control over his family.
Prosecutors stated that Mendoza’s intent was to seek revenge on his estranged wife. Clark County Deputy District Attorney Corey Hallquist described the attack in court, recounting how Mendoza shot his wife in the forehead with an “execution-style shot” while she was in her mother’s apartment.
“To feel the terror and the horror that’s going on in the apartment complex,” Hallquist said in his closing statements. “When the defendant decided that he was going to execute his wife in front of his child and his stepdaughter.”…