Monalisa Pérez, 19, and her boyfriend Pedro Ruiz III were obsessed with gaining more followers on their YouTube channel, just like many other YouTubers. After some light pranks and risky actions in previous videos, Ruiz came up with the idea of filming his girlfriend shooting him in the chest, with a thick book as the only protection. The trick went horribly wrong and cost the young man his life. Pérez was released on bail, but she now faces charges of second-degree manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of ten years.
A Dangerous Idea
The YouTube channel called La MonaLisa has 18 videos. The first video was uploaded in early May, and total views were very few, but a few weeks later Monalisa Pérez and her boyfriend Pedro Ruiz III decided to take a shortcut to fame, with terrible consequences. Through Twitter, Pérez warned that they were going to film "one of the most dangerous videos ever made," and that it was not her idea but her boyfriend's.
The video consisted of Pérez opening fire with a .50 caliber Desert Eagle handgun on Ruiz’s chest from a distance of thirty centimeters, using as only protection an encyclopedia about four centimeters thick with a hard cover. According to available information, about thirty neighbors came to watch the filming on Monday night.
Arrest and Charges
Authorities initially arrested Pérez on charges of negligent discharge of a firearm, and on Wednesday morning prosecutors elevated the situation to second-degree manslaughter ("second-degree manslaughter", incorrectly identified by other media as murder). Pérez stated during her interrogation that Ruiz had been trying for a long time to convince her to fire the gun, and even showed her a book with a bullet embedded from a previous shot. Police found two cameras with recordings of the shooting during the search of Pérez’s home, and it was confirmed that they will not be released to the press.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hr8VlTZMNn0Legal Consequences
Additional details reveal that Ruiz was the registered owner of the weapon used. Pérez was released after paying a bail of $7,000, but she must return to court on more than one occasion. Under Minnesota law (the couple lived in Halstad, with a population of 600), second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000, or both.
Monalisa Pérez has a three-year-old daughter and is seven months pregnant. Ruiz was the father of both children.
Source: BBC
