New charges against man accused of raping, killing UNLV student
Prosecutors added several new charges Friday against the man accused of raping and killing UNLV student Paula Davis.
Her former boyfriend, 21-year-old Giovanni Ruiz, who stands accused of murder, was indicted Friday on charges of first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, robbery with use of a deadly weapon, sexual assault with use a deadly weapon and unlawful sexual penetration of a dead body.
Ruiz was arrested after Davis’ body was found naked in her family’s van on Sept. 6 at a North Las Vegas park. Police have said she sent Ruiz a breakup text message the same day.
A Clark County medical examiner testified before a grand jury that she noticed signs of sexual assault that appeared to indicate that Davis, 19, was raped as she was dying from two gunshot wounds to the head, according to transcripts obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Prosecutors plan to present Ruiz’s charges to a death penalty review committee next week. His attorney, Gabriel Grasso, has declined to comment on the case.
After Friday’s indictment, Davis’ father, Sean Davis, said her family was opposed to capital punishment for Ruiz.
“It’s not that we want to see him be free or be able to harm someone, but we just can’t support taking another life out of retribution,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we don’t have anger and times that incredible loss isn’t very present in everything we’re doing, but we also know that he’s a person as well, and his family is grieving. Capital punishment isn’t going to solve that. It’s not going to make it better for anyone.”
Ruiz was a graduate accounting student at UNLV, where Davis was studying economics.
Hundreds attended Davis’ funeral at St. John Neumann Roman Catholic Church in North Las Vegas, where clergy and family members shared stories of her faith and the example she set by spending hours volunteering with Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.
The same day that Ruiz was taken to jail, detectives found a semi-automatic handgun, missing two rounds, along with a receipt for the weapon hidden inside a suitcase in Ruiz’s home, according to police. It was purchased two days before Davis was killed.
The two had dated, but Davis tried to break up with Ruiz in the days before her father found her dead on Sept. 6, according to grand jury testimony. She had described him as possessive and jealous, police have said.
Authorities believe Ruiz killed Davis within an hour after she sent him a text message indicating she wanted to move on from their relationship, according to court records.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find @randompoker on Twitter.