Caesars Palace Alleged Murderers Face Judge

Posted on: June 22, 2023, 06:55h. 

Last updated on: June 22, 2023, 06:55h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Two women accused of robbing and murdering a man at Caesars Palace Las Vegas last month were to appear before a judge on Thursday.

Erika Covington, left, and Arionna “Ari” Taylor
Erika Covington, left, and Arionna “Ari” Taylor, in mug shots, pictured above. They allegedly shot and killed Bryan Altamirano-Solano inside a room at Caesars Palace. (Image: LVMPD)

Erika Covington and Arionna “Ari” Taylor, both 20, allegedly shot and killed Bryan Altamirano-Solano, 25, inside a room at Caesars Palace on May 15.

The two women were booked on May 17 on murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to commit robbery charges.

Covington and Taylor have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Both were in custody in the Clark County Detention Center as of Thursday.

Altamirano-Solano died from a single gunshot to the left chest, according to an autopsy released by the Clark County coroner’s office. The death was ruled a homicide.

Holding Hands

The trio initially met at about 2:14 a.m. in Caesars Palace’s valet area before they walked into the hotel.

Recently released video shows Altamirano-Solano holding hands in the property with his two would-be killers, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS. The trio went up to his fifth-floor hotel room at about 2:35 a.m. on May 15.

Altamirano-Solano had a brown bag with him. It was a half hour later when the two women were seen running in a hotel hallway. One of the suspects had taken the same bag.

The women then went to the Linq Hotel where they got into a white sedan, which was stolen on April 11, according to Las Vegas TV station KTNV.

At about 11:30 a.m. a housekeeper entered Altamirano-Solano’s room at Caesars Palace. She discovered his lifeless body and notified security staff.

When police searched the room, they found a cartridge casing with the headstamp “HORNADY.”

The casing was linked to a May 10 Las Vegas domestic violence incident on South Pecos Road. Taylor was a victim in that crime, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

The bullet used to shoot Altamirano-Solano matched the casing from the domestic violence incident, according to Las Vegas TV station KVVU.

The suspects eventually were identified through photos on Taylor’s Instagram account, hotel surveillance video, and the casing.

On May 17, Covington and Taylor were apprehended at a Simmons Street residence in Las Vegas.

Police seized from the apartment a Glock magazine and the clothes believed to be worn by the two women at the hotel.

Covington told police she wanted to speak to a lawyer after she was asked about what took place in the hotel room, KLAS reported. Taylor claimed to have a poor memory after a car accident and was unable to tell police what happened in the hotel room, authorities said.

It was recently revealed that Altamirano-Solano was from Nicaragua. He was trying to get asylum in the U.S.

Sex With Third Woman

The Caesars Palace room was registered to an unnamed woman. She and Altamirano-Solano met at the hotel room that night after getting introduced through an app.

The two had sex together in the room. By 1:30 a.m., he walked her out to her car.