A Las Vegas man living with his girlfriend and her child, was charged with murdering his lover in front of her child, who fled the house to a neighbor.
On Friday, police arrested Ishmil Swafford, 43, on a murder charge in the death of Yetundi Yvonne Negritia Maples, 46.
Swafford allegedly shot Maples Thursday morning, October 27, at their home in Las Vegas. A neighbor called police at around 1:20 am.
The child, only six-years-old, ran out of the house to a neighbor, Alejandra Verduzco, 29, who let the child in after the boy told her that his mom had just been killed. The poor boy started crying profusely and shaking and she tried to calm him down.
The child was well known in the neighborhood and neighbors would see him walking his dog. He would proudly tell anyone who cared to listen that he was six-years-old.
The police issued a report that said that when the boy left the house, he told Swafford that he had hurt his mom. Swafford told the boy that she would be okay. The exchange occurred at about 1 am, and was witnessed by a neighbor, who also heard the gunshot.
When police arrived, they found Maples with a wound to her head and she was pronounced dead by paramedics. A 45-caliber casing was found outside her bedroom as well as four other cartridges near her body.
The police took the boy to the Southern Nevada Advocacy Center and interviewed him about what happened.
The six-year-old told police that he had been in his bedroom sleeping upstairs when he heard his mother and Swafford fighting downstairs. He heard a gunshot, and when he ran downstairs, he found his mother covered in blood.
Swafford has denied shooting Maples.