Murder suspect told police woman ‘looked as if she wanted to fight him’
An arrest report released by the Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday provided further details about a homicide at a motel near the Strip last week.
Police have arrested 43-year-old Evanda Jones on a murder charge after 36-year-old Malisa Johnson was killed May 7 following a domestic disturbance at the Motel 6 at 195 E. Tropicana Ave.
According to the report, Jones met a man named Terrell Harper in early May, and Jones sold Harper marijuana.
When Jones was kicked out of the Motel 6, Harper told police he let the man stay with him at the neighboring Travelodge, 5075 Koval Lane.
Harper told police that he got a room at the Motel 6 on May 6 and that Jones came with him.
On May 7, Harper and a friend heard Jones in an argument on the phone, and Jones stormed out of the room, according to the report.
When he came back, Jones was visibly upset and had blood on his hands and clothes, the report said, and he told Harper he was going to go to jail, but didn’t say why. He was wearing a blue shirt, red shorts and black pants.
Harper told police that Jones changed out of his clothes and into a blue and yellow sweatsuit before leaving the apartment. He said police arrived shortly after Jones left.
Police found a blood trail that wrapped around the building and ended at the woman’s body.
Police used the woman’s Nevada ID to identify her in the report as Malisa Mays, and the Clark County coroner’s office initially identified her as Milisa Johnson. But in January, a coroner’s office spokesman said the office had determined the correct spelling was Malisa Johnson.
Her death was ruled a homicide due to sharp force injuries.
Guests at the motel told police that they saw Jones and Johnson arguing and heard the woman screaming while the man hit her. Two Motel 6 employees said they saw the same fight and saw Johnson fall to the ground.
Police found Jones at the Plaza on Sunday and arrested him on a murder charge without incident. He told police that he’d met Johnson on May 6 and that the two didn’t get along.
When he found that some of his marijuana had gone missing about 10 minutes before the stabbing, Jones said, he walked out of the room and found Johnson on a second-floor balcony and told her to stay away from him, but she “looked as if she wanted to fight him,” the report said.
He told police that he stabbed Johnson with a small, fixed-blade knife, changed clothes and left on foot to walk around the Strip. Police said a trash bag with a bloody blue shirt and red shorts were found in a trash can near Jones’ room.
Jones is being held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail, jail records show. He has a court hearing scheduled for May 27.
Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.
