A former NBA G-League basketball player charged in the disappearance and murder of a 23-year-old woman has allegedly confessed to a plot with his ex-girlfriend to lure the woman in and strangle her, according to a police warrant obtained by KCRA.
Chance Comanche, 27, allegedly admitted to Las Vegas police that he and his ex-girlfriend, 19-year-old Sakari Harnden, devised a plot to murder the victim, Marayna Rodgers, in the early hours of Dec. 6, police said.
Police alleged two possible motives behind the killing, each stemming from disputes between Harnden and Rodgers, who are both sex workers and have interacted in the past. One explanation offered by police involves a feud over the theft of a Rolex watch, and another involves Harnden apparently collaborating with police to get Rodgers’ boyfriend arrested.
Comanche played for the Stockton Kings until he was cut following his arrest Friday. He reportedly met up with Harnden, whom he used to date, shortly after a Kings game the night of Dec. 5. The pair allegedly planned to lure Rodgers away from her friends by promising her cash for sex, as well as a chance to meet NBA players.
Rodgers was reported missing on Dec. 7 by her boyfriend, who’d driven her to Las Vegas for sex work, police say. The boyfriend told detectives that Rodgers expected to make $4,000 from the date, but that she never returned to the Airbnb they shared, and that she had the location services on her phone turned off.
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Harnden was initially taken into custody on Dec. 13 on a theft charge, and was later charged in Rodgers’ murder, according to court records reviewed by HuffPost. Comanche was arrested in California on Dec. 14 on kidnapping charges and taken to Sacramento County Jail, where Las Vegas police traveled to conduct his interview.
Comanche allegedly told officers that his plot with Harnden began well before the night of Rodgers’ death. Police say Comanche and Harnden communicated over the encrypted messaging app Telegram, where they sought to hire a friend to kill Rodgers for $3,000 — but the friend reportedly declined.
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Unable to find someone to kill Rodgers for them, Comanche and Harnden decided to move forward themselves, police said.
According to police, Comanche said he called Rodgers posing as a client and offered $1,000. Rodgers agreed to meet Comanche with Harnden at a predetermined location in Las Vegas before driving to a cul-de-sac to have sex, police said.
Comanche allegedly told police that Harnden zip-tied Rodgers’ hands together, pretending it was part of the “kinky sex” they agreed to.
Harnden then choked Rodgers with her hands, according to police, while Comanche grabbed an HDMI cable to further strangle the victim.
Comanche allegedly told police that he stopped when he heard Rodgers struggling to breathe, but that Harnden continued to choke Rodgers until she was unresponsive.
Comanche said he and Harnden then drove with Rodgers’ body in the front passenger seat until they found a ditch where they could hide her body, according to the warrant.
The basketball player allegedly gave police the location of the ditch, where they found Rodgers’ body.
According to criminal complaints obtained by HuffPost, Comanche and Harnden are charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
