The pleas come nearly five years after two people were fatally shot during a series of parking-garage robberies on New Year’s Eve.
LAS VEGAS — Two men have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a New Year’s Eve robbery spree that killed a Hawaii tourist and another man in Las Vegas, moving a nearly five-year-old criminal case toward sentencing.
Jordan Ruby, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 66-year-old Clarice Yamaguchi and to one count of attempted murder, according to court records and local reports cited in an Aug. 5 report. Jesani Carter, 24, pleaded guilty to 13 counts, including murder charges connected to the deaths of Yamaguchi and 60-year-old Hyo Sup “Richard” Um, along with robbery-related offenses. The pleas resolve the criminal charges without a trial.
Yamaguchi, of Waipahu, Hawaii, was visiting Las Vegas with her husband when she was shot Dec. 31, 2021, in the parking garage at the Fashion Show mall on the Las Vegas Strip. Police accounts released after the shooting said the couple had been walking through the garage when Yamaguchi realized she had forgotten a face mask and returned toward their vehicle. Investigators said a robber confronted the couple and attempted to take her purse.
Yamaguchi’s husband struggled with the assailant, and a shot was fired during the confrontation, according to police accounts. The Clark County coroner later determined that Yamaguchi died from a gunshot wound and ruled her death a homicide. Contemporary reporting by The Associated Press said she died at University Medical Center. Former colleagues later described Yamaguchi as a recently retired grandmother who had traveled from Hawaii for the holiday period.
Police said the violence continued elsewhere in Las Vegas that afternoon and evening. At about 5:15 p.m., officers received a report that a casino employee had been confronted in a parking garage on South Las Vegas Boulevard. Investigators said an armed robber demanded the employee’s property and fired a shot, but the employee was not struck. Authorities later linked Ruby and Carter to that attempted robbery.
About an hour later, police were called to the parking garage at Palace Station, where Um had been shot. Investigators said Um had been confronted and robbed before the shooting. He was taken to University Medical Center and later died. Police testimony during an early court hearing indicated surveillance video showed Um gambling at Palace Station before the attack and that his wallet was not found with him afterward.
Investigators connected the men to a silver BMW seen during the robberies. Police said the vehicle also had been linked to an armed robbery at the Wynn resort on Dec. 30, the day before the two killings. Records reviewed during the investigation connected the BMW to Carter, and surveillance footage helped police track the vehicle to Bally’s Las Vegas after the shootings. Carter and Ruby were arrested at the casino.
Police said a search of the BMW turned up clothing resembling items worn by a suspect during the crimes, along with a firearm and ammunition. Both men were initially held without bail. Prosecutors later filed notices announcing their intention to seek the death penalty, arguing that the pair had traveled to Las Vegas and carried out a series of armed robberies during one of the city’s busiest holiday periods. Ruby and Carter pleaded not guilty in 2022 before the cases remained pending for several years.
Under the newly reported plea arrangements, Ruby agreed to a sentence of 35 years to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 24. Carter is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 8. Prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty against Carter as part of his plea agreement. Local reporting said Carter faces at least 50 years in prison, although his final sentence will be determined by the court.
The guilty pleas mark the most significant resolution in the criminal case since the two men were arrested hours after the Dec. 31, 2021, shootings. Separate sentencing hearings will determine the prison terms imposed by the court. Until those hearings are completed, the final sentences for both defendants have not been formally entered.
Author note: Last updated August 6, 2026.