LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A former NBA G-league player accused of killing a woman in Las Vegas said he is indigent and needs public funds to help in his defense.
Chance Comanche, 27, who most recently played for the Sacramento Stockton Kings, faces murder and kidnapping charges. The former G-league player said that he has used up all of his and his family’s funds to hire an attorney and has no assets or income in a document filed by his attorney Gary Guymon dated Jan. 22.
“He is being charged with crimes that have life sentences as a possibility and needs funds to aid in his defense,” the document stated.
Guymon referred to costs associated with a defense investigator and expert witnesses.
Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Amy Chelini granted the motion, according to court records.
Comanche was released from the team by Dec. 15, the same week he was taken into custody.
Comanche is accused of killing Marayna Rodgers, 23, on Dec. 6. He and his co-defendant, Sakari Harnden, 19, are accused of plotting the kidnapping and murder of Rodgers.
Harnden and Rodgers were both sex workers, according to an arrest report. Rodgers had thought she and Harnden were going on a “double date” to sell sex, but instead, Comanche had pretended to be a client, police said.
Police said that they uncovered messages dating back to Dec. 1 on the communication application Telegram between Comanche and Harnden planning the kidnapping and murder of Rodgers.
“Pretend to be a trick and have her come to wherever you at and get her when she show up,” Harnden messaged Comanche, according to police.
In earlier messages, it appeared Comanche referred to other individuals who appeared to know about the plan.
“It’s green,” Comanche messaged on the morning of Dec. 1, according to the report. “Gave them her full name. SSN. Her IG page. All dat.”
On Dec. 2, police said Comanche messaged, “I told my dawg the whole plan. He just waiting to run it by them.”
Later that day, a third unidentified person was added to the chat, according to the report.
“It’s time,” police said Comanche messaged later that night. “Run the plan by him so he can relay it. Folks ready.”
“Trynna find a (ghost emoji gun emoji),” the third person in the report messaged on Dec. 3. Ghost guns are typically assembled by the buyer and untraceable.
On Dec. 4, police said Comanche messaged, “Get that drunk and mix rat poison or sum in her drink.”
He later messaged, “I can snap her neck or just strangle the ,” the report stated. “If you get a nice little thick piece of rope or sum sturdy I can do it from the back seat. Like how killers do it in the movies.”
The night of Dec. 5, Comanche messaged Rodgers posing as an individual interested in purchasing sexual acts, also known as a trick.
This is the same night Comanche’s team played at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson.
A friend told police that Rodgers showed him a string of text messages between her and Harnden where Harnden had prearranged a prostitution double date, according to the report.
The report stated, “In the text messages, the unknown trick offered to pay Marayna $1,000 for services.”
The friend said that he had dropped off Rodgers to meet Harnden and found it odd that a man, who police later identified as Comanche, was in the back seat, according to police documents.
In the early morning hours, while the pair was with Rodgers, police said Comanche messaged, “My acting skills are beyond superb.”
Detectives said Comanche appeared to coach Harnden about being questioned by police.
“It’s Vegas, she around and got kidnapped. She was with you til such and such time then the guy she was supposed to go meet with called her an Uber and she left,” Comanche messaged, according to the report.
The case initially was a missing persons investigation, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Vice section involved, after friends told police Rodgers was a sex worker, according to the report. When detectives discovered the Telegram messages, the case was turned over to LVMPD’s Homicide section.
Hardon was taken into custody in Las Vegas on Dec. 13. Police said she claimed Rodgers was getting into an Uber the last time she saw her. Through an emergency Uber request, police learned there were no rides matching Harnden’s claim, the report stated.
Comanche was taken into custody in Sacramento County later that week and then confessed, according to detectives. He said Harnden, a former girlfriend he stayed in touch with, described having issues with Rodgers, prompting the pair to put together a plan to lure her away from her friends to kill her, police said.
Comanche told police he offered a friend $3,000 to commit the murder, but he was not interested in helping, the report stated.
Comanche also described how the alleged murder was committed as they were parked in a cul-de-sac near Horizon Ridge Parkway and Gibson Road in Henderson. Comanche said he tried strangling Rodgers with a cord while Harnden tried choking her with her hands, according to the report.
Police said Comanche told them where to locate the remains of Rodgers.
Detectives identified a possible motive. Harden allegedly implicated a man, identified as her boyfriend, in a double murder in California, according to an arrest report. The boyfriend was in custody for the murder in San Joaquin County jail, police said.
“Sakari was upset at Marayna for telling other people that Sakari had implicated her boyfriend in the murder,” the arrest report stated.
Harnden also faces an unrelated theft charge after police said she stole a Rolex.
Harnden appeared to be represented by a Clark County public defender.
A preliminary hearing in the murder case is scheduled for March 14.
The average salary for a G-league player was $35,000 in 2020, according to Forbes.
