Las Vegas man dies from complications after stabbing
A 32-year-old Las Vegas man died Tuesday, 10 days after police allege he was stabbed by his girlfriend.
Mario Scanga, 32, died at University Medical Center from complications of his injuries, after spending about a week in intensive care. He had been stabbed once in the chest May 26, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner.
Las Vegas police initially arrested Scanga’s girlfriend, Rhodesha Jones, on May 27 on charges of attempted murder with a deadly weapon and domestic battery. Her attempted murder charge has since been upgraded to murder with a deadly weapon, court records show.
Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Jay Rivera on Friday confirmed that police are now investigating Scanga’s death as a homicide.
Jones, 24, sometimes goes by the first name of “Rhodecia” according to police but was booked under her legal name.
According to her arrest report, Jones eventually admitted during an interview with detectives that she had stabbed Scanga while they were arguing inside their apartment unit on the 5000 block of Eldora Avenue. She initially told police that Scanga had arrived at their apartment unit with a knife in his chest.
Scanga’s death marked Metro’s 79th homicide investigation this year, according to records maintained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Jones is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning, jail records show.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
