Beneath the opulent veneer of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, a beloved resort now under the stewardship of the Manuel Band of Mission Indians, a harrowing tale unfolded that has now gripped the city known for its dazzling lights and dark secrets. The incident, which took place on the fateful evening of June 12, has sent shockwaves through the community as more details emerge about the violent crime that claimed the life of Larissa Garcia—a mother, a student, and an escort known to some by the names “Andrea” and “Dallas.”
In the aftermath of the brutal assault, the Las Vegas Police Department, piecing together the grim narrative, has delved into the investigation with the commitment of bringing justice to a life cut tragically short. It was initially Jason Kendall, a 35-year-old Army veteran, who sounded the alarm with a 911 call claiming an overdose was unfolding within the walls of the Palms. However, the reality police uncovered was far more sinister.
The hotel’s security, responding with urgency, discovered Garcia’s body, lifeless and bearing the stark evidence of a violent struggle—a grotesquely lacerated jaw. Still, a glimmer of hope led her to Spring Valley Hospital, where the medical staff, in a desperate bid to revive her, found no trace of drugs or alcohol. A nurse’s keen observation suggested a horrific alternative: Garcia may have been suffocated.
Under the weight of scrutiny, the facade Kendall maintained crumbled, revealing the monstrous acts he confessed to the authorities. According to the chilling police report, the ordeal began with a payment of $2,000, followed by a request for more money that triggered Kendall’s rage. His own words, documented in the report, recount how he struck Garcia and choked her for a dread-laced ten minutes. In the shadowy aftermath, he committed the unspeakable.
More than a week later, on June 21, the shadows closed in completely as Garcia’s battle for life came to an end at Spring Valley Hospital. Her passing, initially shrouded in ambiguity, was officially pronounced a homicide—a consequence of that night’s monstrous act.
Kendall, now facing the stark reality of his actions, turned himself in at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Headquarters, bearing the weight of his guilt and the charges that followed: open murder, sexual assault, and battery by strangulation to commit sexual assault. Held without bail, the court awaits his looming presence on Tuesday to unravel the threads of this tragic tale.
Amid the questions swirling around Kendall’s military service and the deployment he may or may the experience, one undeniable truth remains—Larissa Garcia’s life, filled with the quiet heroism of a mother striving for a brighter future, was brought to an abrupt and violent halt, sending ripples through a city that knows too well the stark contrast between the light and the dark.
