Murder Charges Filed in Reno Halloween Party Deaths

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Posted: 5:44 PM Oct 31, 2007 Murder Charges Filed in Reno Halloween Party Deaths One of two 19-year-old men arrested in connection with a triple homicide at a Halloween party over the weekend was formally charged with murder in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday afternoon.

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One of two 19-year-old men arrested in connection with a triple homicide at a Halloween party over the weekend was formally charged with murder in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday afternoon.

Samisoni Taukitoku was charged with three counts of murder with
the use of a firearm for the Oct. 28 shooting deaths of Charles Coogan Kelly, 21, Truckee, Derek Kyle Jensen, 23, Reno, and Nathan Viljoen, 23, Fallon.

Tauikitoku and Saili Manu, who police say crashed the college party with Tauikitoku, each were charged Wednesday with assault with a deadly weapon and with coercion for the beating of University of Nevada, Reno basketball player Tyrone Hanson, 20.

Reno police said the killings were prompted after Tauikitoku bumped Hanson on the dance floor and then allegedly beat him unconscious and robbed him.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Dan Greco said more charges could be possible against Manu and that he is awaiting final police reports until deciding.

The complaint alleges that Taukitoku shot the men one or more times with a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun and that the shooting occurred with "malice, aforethought, deliberation and premeditation."

In the coercion count, both men are accused of grabbing, punching and or kicking Hanson as he tried to leave the party. One of the men, the complaint said, committed the act and the second aided and abetted the attacker by acting as an enforcer or lookout, or by overcoming resistance from the victim and or any other person.

Taukitoku is charged with pointing a gun at Hansons head and Manu is accused of displaying a gun to one or more people and trying to fire it.

Hanson, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward from New York, was severely
beaten at the party early Sunday.

Nevada basketball coach Mark Fox announced Tuesday night he had
dismissed Hanson from the team.

Latest Comments

Posted by: seven Location: Reno, Nv on Nov 5, 2009 at 08:40 AM

ok if you had read correctly he did not shoot jenson on the head if Jenson is still alive and was dismissed from the basket ball team THANK YOU VERRY MUCH! and what they did was wrong and they know it. but if it was just a bump he wouldn't go off on that guy automatically. I know he wouldnt.

Posted by: DPH Location: Orlando on Nov 3, 2007 at 11:18 AM

Puzzled by this: "Nevada basketball coach Mark Fox announced Tuesday night he had dismissed Hanson from the team." Was this BEFORE or AFTER the incident at the party?? And if AFTER, WHY would the coach do this? Was there some implication Hanson was part of a problem, as opposed to just in the wrong place at the wrong time?? And if this action by the coach wasn't directly connected to the incident, why mention it here?? Seems like adding insult to injury --although at least Hanson is still alive!

Posted by: KERRY Location: RENO on Nov 1, 2007 at 10:14 AM

Both of they guys should be charged with murder and the shooter should get the death penalty. He shot Jenson in the head on purpose. Anyone associates who tried to protect these shooters or helped in anyway should aslo be charged. Jenson and anyone else who assisted in protecting lives at that party should be publically commended for there actions, I feel many more lives might have been lost had Jenson not involved himself in getting those killers outof the house. In the future for all of us, when uninvited people show up "call the police and have them removed" so this won't happen again.

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