Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Police: Boyfriend slain in love triangle put up little fight to frenzied attacker

Grissel Gonzaga

Metro Police

Grissel Gonzaga

In an online fundraiser, a friend to the victim wrote that in violent situations, Travis Smith was the type to resort to peaceful resolution.

That’s apparently what he tried to do early Saturday morning when the ex-girlfriend of his new love interest showed up intending to cause a ruckus in a south valley house.

After Smith, 28, pulled Grissel Gonzaga, 29, off her ex-girlfriend, the suspect directed her ire at him, punching and choking him, according to a Metro Police arrest report. But he “just stood there,” police learned. “He did not do anything.”

In the end, Smith — who was identified through news reports and the GoFundMe effort — wound up dead and Gonzaga behind bars on counts of murder, attempted murder, domestic battery and burglary.

Smith called 911 about 5 a.m., telling an operator that he’d been stabbed in the 9600 block of Pine River Lane, near Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Pollock Street, police said.

Gonzaga later told detectives that she had just arrived from California to “surprise” her ex-girlfriend. Lt. Ray Spencer said Sunday that she’d been told the day before the slaying that she wasn’t welcome.

Either way, Gonzaga, who used a ride-share vehicle to get there, broke into the house through a sliding door in the back and began “stomping” around until she went upstairs and found the couple in bed, police said.

She attacked her ex-girlfriend, then Smith — at one point stabbing him with tweezers — and then the woman again until Smith was able to haul her outside, police said.

But Gonzaga allegedly broke in again and the onslaught on the couple continued, police said. This time, she stomped on his forehead hard enough to leave a footprint, according to the report.

Gonzaga then went downstairs, allegedly grabbed a bread knife and chased her ex-girlfriend upstairs, slashing her, police said. At one point, she went into the children’s bedroom where three children under 10 years old were sleeping and grabbed one of them while holding a knife.

Spencer said Sunday that Gonzaga told the child something along the lines of “look what your mom is doing.”

Eventually Gonzaga left the house, but not before leaving destruction behind: a fish bowl, jars and plant pots shattered. An iguana aquarium, kitchen items, and a TV were also among the wreckage, police said.

Outside, Spencer said, Gonzaga stuck around and broke the windows to Smith’s vehicle. According to the report, she left the area on foot and called 911 to say that she’d been in a fight.

Gonzaga denied stabbing or slashing anyone. It wasn’t clear how Smith died, although he had significant head injuries. The report said he had stab wounds to his collarbone.

Gonzaga was arrested over the summer for allegedly beating the same woman, police said. Las Vegas Justice Court records show that she received a 90-day suspended jail sentence and was ordered to receive counseling and participate in community service.

Soon after, Gonzaga was issued an arrest warrant when she failed to appear in court in July, a month after her initial arrest, records show.

The female victim spoke told detectives about other instances of violence she didn’t report to authorities, according to the arrest report.

The author of the GoFundMe fundraiser could not immediately be reached for comment.