Man charged in death of bicyclist recently released from prison
A driver charged in the death of a Las Vegas bicyclist was released from prison less than four months ago.
Rodrigo Cruz, 22, was back in court Wednesday, charged with murder after 56-year-old Shelli Weissman was killed while riding her bike in the east valley Sunday morning.
Authorities said a passenger in Cruz’s minivan leaned out of a window and pushed Weissman on Hollywood Boulevard near Sahara Avenue. The passenger, 20-year-old Giovanni Medina Barajas, died after he fell from the minivan, slid on the asphalt and struck a streetlight.
Online records from the Nevada Department of Corrections show that Cruz was released on parole July 19. Court records show that he pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy charges in February 2017 and was ordered to serve 28 to 72 months in prison.
Cruz was arrested in July 2016 after police said he was one of two men who beat and robbed a pair of women and rammed a stolen vehicle into a police car.
Friends remembered Weissman, who worked at the Cannery on Craig Road, for her kindness.
Outside Wednesday’s court hearing, attorney Andrew Leavitt said he had grown up with Weissman in Las Vegas.
“She was just an all-around awesome girl,” Leavitt said. “Never had a single enemy. Never said a bad thing about anybody, just a great person.”
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.