A third man has been arrested in the homicide of a Carson City teenager.
Reed Skenandore, 21, of Carson City was arrested Tuesday night after investigators received information he was staying at the Carson Street Motel 6. When authorities got to the motel, they saw a man matching Skenandore’s description walking outside and were able to arrest him.
Skenandore, along with two brothers, Jesus Garcia-Manriquez, 18, and Allen Garcia-Manriquez, 19, are accused of shooting 18-year-old Grant Watkins Monday morning. The three, along with a friend of Watkins met at Blackwell’s Pond Park, near Windridge and Scotch Pine drives, around 12:30 a.m. so Watkins could allegedly sell them three ounces of marijuana. Watkins was shot once in the abdomen. His friend drove Watkins to Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center, where he was transported to Renown Regional Medical Center where he died at 2:09 a.m.
Sheriff Ken Furlong said investigators believe Skenandore and the brothers, along with additional suspects, went to the park to rob Watkins. The criminal complaint filed on the three men states that Jesus arranged to meet Watkins on the pretext that they wanted to buy the drugs from Watkins. During the drug buy, Skenandore shot at and hit Watkins at least once. The complaint also states that the men took items that belonged to Watkins, though it does not specify what those items were.
Officers arrested the Garcia brothers about 8:30 a.m. Monday after a SWAT raid on their Saliman Road apartment. Both were taken into custody without incident. A 17-year-old female was also detained in the raid, but was later released.
Furlong said detectives working the case throughout Tuesday identified additional suspects, including Skenandore.
The information was presented late Tuesday to a Carson City Judge and an arrest warrant was issued.
At approximately 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, information led a team of detectives, Special Enforcement Officers, and U.S. Marshals to a motel on South Carson Street at Sonoma Drive where Skenandore was staying. During the surveillance of the area, Skenandore was eventually spotted and positively identified as he was leaving a motel room. Skenandore walked into the parking lot area and an arrest team converged on him. Skenandore was taken into custody without incident or injuries to anyone.
Following his arrest, search warrants were executed at a family residence on East Long Street, as well as other surveillances put in place. Search teams remain active in serval areas for other persons associated with this incident. No weapons have been located yet, Furlong said.
Skenandore was arrested on suspicion of felony first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, felony first-degree murder with use of weapon in preparation of a robbery, felony robbery with a deadly weapon, felony attempted murder with a deadly weapon and felony conspiracy to commit robbery. No bail was set. The Garcia brothers were both originally charged with principal to murder and maintaining a drug house and were both being held on a $250,000 bail each. However, with new information their criminal complaint was amended to include felony open murder with the use of a deadly weapon, first-degree felony murder with the use of a deadly weapon committed in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of robbery, felony robbery with a deadly weapon, felony attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon and felony conspiracy to commit robbery, the district attorney’s office said. If convicted, felony first-degree murder alone carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
“While we believe that all of the primary suspects that posed the greatest significant threat risk to the community have been taken into custody, other arrests remain highly likely,” Furlong said.
The Garcia brothers had their first appearance in court Wednesday morning and were appointed lawyers. Skenandore is scheduled to have his first appearance Friday.
Carson City District Attorney Jason Woodbury said his office has not yet decided on whether they will pursue to death penalty.
“It’s obviously relatively early in the proceedings and our office is still in the process of receiving all the details of the investigation from the Sheriff’s Office,” Woodbury said. “No decision has been made in regard to the death penalty at this time. Once the investigation is substantially completed, I will sit down with our prosecution team and lead law enforcement officers to review the case as well as the aggravating and mitigating facts and circumstances at issue, including input from the family of the victim. I will make decision on the death penalty expeditiously at that point. We’ll make the decision public after we’ve have had a chance to discuss it with the victim’s family.”
The Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office continue to investigate this matter. Anyone with any information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Carson City Sheriff’s Office at 887-2500.