Chance Comanche: Ex-NBA player admits kidnapping and murdering Washington woman during court appearance
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Chance Comanche, a former G League player for the Sacramento Kings, made his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court.
Accused of luring a woman to her demise in Las Vegas, Comanche, aged 27, was apprehended on Friday afternoon at the Sacramento County Main Jail. Currently, he is being detained without the option of posting bail.
Chance Comanche granted 30-day waiver
The NBA player is presently awaiting extradition to Las Vegas, where he is reportedly implicated in a sinister plot with another woman currently in custody.
During Tuesday's hearing, which lasted only two minutes, Comanche stood inside a holding cell in a courtroom, a short distance from his lawyer, attired in the standard orange jail inmate uniform.
Comanche and his legal representative presented an extradition waiver to the court, voluntarily waiving their right to challenge the extradition process.
The judge granted the waiver and informed Comanche that he would have 30 days to be picked up by Nevada state authorities and brought back to Las Vegas to face criminal charges.
According to a Las Vegas arrest report that FOX5 was able to obtain, Comanche allegedly acknowledged his involvement in Marayna Rodgers' murder.
The 23-year-old woman from Washington disappeared ten days ago, and her body was discovered in the desert of Henderson, Nevada.
As per the arrest report, Comanche informed investigators that he conspired with 19-year-old Sakari Harnden to carry out the plan to kill Rodgers.
According to documents from the Clark County Justice Court, Comanche has been charged by the District Attorney's Office in Clark County with first-degree kidnapping and murder.
What are the charges against Chance Comanche's girlfriend?
On Monday, coinciding with the court's approval of the arrest warrant for Comanche, the prosecution filed a criminal complaint against him. Harnden is similarly accused of first-degree kidnapping and murder, according to the prosecution.
She appeared in court for the first time on Monday in a Clark County courtroom, and she is still being held without bond at the county jail.
The woman met her demise while Comanche was playing for the G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA, namely the Stockton Kings. On December 5, he accompanied the team to Las Vegas for a game against G League Ignite.
Comanche was released by the Stockton Kings on Friday.
According to the arrest report, Comanche disclosed to authorities that he met with Harnden after the game to carry out their plan against Rodgers, who was traveling to Las Vegas with companions.
Furthermore, he purportedly confessed to investigators that he maintained contact with Harnden after their breakup and revealed that they had connected on a dating app approximately a year and a half ago.
As per the arrest report, Comanche indicated that Harnden was experiencing problems with Rodgers, and if Harnden didn't provide Rodgers with a Rolex watch, Rodgers would "cause harm" to her.
The basketball player testified to investigators that he had lured Rodgers and employed an HDMI cord to strangle her, while Harnden used her hands to do the same.
