Las Vegas Strip Slasher Victim’s Wife Recalls His Murder

Posted on: October 12, 2022, 03:24h. 

Last updated on: October 13, 2022, 05:47h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

Brent Hallett and his wife, Carmelita, were together for 28 years and planned to be joined for much longer. During the pandemic shutdown, the Alberta, Canada residents decided that life was passing them by. So they took early retirement and set out on a trip around the world.

Their final stop was the city where the Halletts were married in 1999 and where, on Oct. 6, Brent died at age 47. The couple had been enjoying Las Vegas for four months and had planned to fly back to Canada two weeks later.

As Brent lay on the Sunset Strip sidewalk, bleeding from a knife wound in his back, he turned to Carmelita and said, “I don’t think I’m going to make it,” as reported by Carmelita to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Brent died of his wounds, as did Maris DiGiovanni, a 30-year-old model and former Las Vegas schoolteacher. Six others were wounded in the unprovoked stabbing rampage that most Americans still find difficult to wrap their heads around.

She Didn’t See it Happen

“All I remember is that we were walking, and we were holding hands, and he flinched,” Carmelita told the R-J. “And I saw a guy run by and I looked at (Brent), and he put his hand on his back. I thought someone just bumped him. I didn’t see anything happen.”

Though police have yet to determine a motive, they are confident they have the right suspect. Yoni Barrios, 32, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

Everybody says we had the best relationship, you know?” Carmelita told the R-J. “We were best friends. We were kind to each other. He always came first for me, and I always came first for him.”

Carmelita described her husband as a businessman, a family man, and an animal lover. They kept pet rabbits, and when in Vegas, they frequented the South Point Arena to see the horses at the Equestrian Center.

The Clark County coroner’s office initially described Brent as a Las Vegas resident. That was an error, though the pair loved Las Vegas and traveled there often.

“It was Brent’s favorite place,” Carmelita told the R-J.

Carmelita has created a GoFundMe page in her husband’s memory called Brent Hallett Vegas Tragedy. It has currently raised $1,635 of its $50K goal. Carmelita has promised to donate the money raised to animal welfare causes.