In a shocking announcement, former NBA G League player Chance Comanche, 27, has reportedly confessed to strangling a woman in Las Vegas as part of a murder plot. The 6-foot-10 Comanche, formerly connected with the Stockton Kings, appeared in a Sacramento County court and waived his deportation to Nevada, where he faces charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Former Stockton Kings player, Chance Comanche, is facing accusations related to a murder in Las Vegas, with court documents revealing a potential motive behind the murder. The victim, Marayna Rodgers, was allegedly targeted with the assistance of Sakari Harnden, a 19-year-old Comanche claimed to have dated.
According to information obtained from the Declaration of Warrant/Summons for Comanche, Rodgers had an altercation with Harnden a few days before her disappearance. Statements from Rodgers’ boyfriend and a childhood friend, provided to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, suggest that both Rodgers and Harnden were involved in prostitution.
According to court documents, Chance Comanche and his former girlfriend Sakari Harnden, 19, collaborated in choking 23-year-old Marayna Rodgers on December 6, shortly after a game between the Stockton Kings and the NBA G League Ignite in Henderson, Nevada. Comanche was taken into custody in Sacramento last week.
The disturbing plot unfolded with Chance Comanche posing as a customer, purportedly for a sexual encounter. The motive, as per the Las Vegas police affidavit, stemmed from an ongoing dispute between Harnden and Rodgers over a Rolex watch. Both Harnden and the victim were engaged in sex work.
The plan involved Comanche binding Rodgers and Harnden’s hands for a supposed sexual encounter. Using an HDMI cord, Chance Comanche allegedly strangled Rodgers for about 10 seconds but claimed to have stopped upon hearing her struggle to breathe. Harnden, however, continued choking Rodgers with her hands, according to the affidavit.
After Rodgers succumbed to the attack, the pair allegedly disposed of her body in a ditch off the side of the road, covering it with rocks. Comanche then returned to the M Resort Casino, where the Kings were staying, before leaving with teammates.
Security footage from the hotel captured Harnden leaving her room visibly upset and crying on December 6 at 10:24 a.m. She was subsequently arrested on December 13. Comanche, who had attended Beverly Hills High School and the University of Arizona, was released from the Kings after his arrest.
Chance Comanche reportedly disclosed to detectives that he met Harnden through a dating app 1 1⁄2 years ago, and although their dating relationship lasted only a few months, they stayed in touch. Harnden’s alleged grievance with Rodgers revolved around the coveted Rolex watch, with Chance Comanche offering to help Harnden find someone to harm Rodgers. When that plan fell through, they decided to carry out the murder themselves.
The case has taken a dark turn with Comanche accused of collaborating with Harnden to cause Rodgers’ death. Chance Comanche’s alleged confession includes details of the murder, which occurred in the early morning hours of December 6 in Las Vegas.
As investigations unfold, the Stockton Kings, a former G League team, find themselves indirectly connected to this tragic incident. The motive behind the murder is a central focus, shedding light on a complex web of relationships and criminal activities involving former and current individuals associated with the Stockton Kings.
Outside the Sacramento court, Chance Comanche’s defence attorney, Michael Goldstein, stated, “We have nothing to say. We’re going to let the courts deal with it. We’re going to deal with it in Nevada.”
