A photo of murder victim Makayla Rhiner is displayed during a news conference at Metro Police headquarters Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017. Rhiner, 21, was found stabbed to death on August 3, 2017. Her ex-boyfriend Brandon Hanson, 33, was arrested for the murder.
Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017 | 2:37 p.m.
Brandon Hanson
Before stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death Thursday, Brandon Hanson had fallen into a deep depression and drove to the woman’s apartment complex to talk about salvaging their recently terminated three-month relationship, according to Metro Police.
When Makayla Rhiner rejected the idea of continuing a romantic relationship, Hanson violently lashed out, stabbing her in the neck and leaving her bleeding on the floor of a garage, police said in a report released today.
Officers were dispatched about 7 p.m. Thursday to the apartment complex in the 8000 block of West Russell Road and found Rhiner’s body, police said. She died of multiple stab wounds to the neck and chest, the Clark County Coroner’s Office said.
Hanson was arrested and booked at the Clark County Detention Center on a count of murder, police said.
Hanson, 33, and Rhiner, 21, met in class at the College of Southern Nevada and dated about three months before Rhiner ended their relationship in June, police said.
Hanson “took the breakup badly” and threatened to kill himself, police said.
While Rhiner encouraged him to seek professional help, Hanson’s depression only got worse when his former girlfriend started dating another man, according to the report. He returned to her apartment complex at least once before the slaying and vandalized the vehicles of Rhiner’s new boyfriend and her mother in the days following the breakup, police said.
Friends of Rhiner described her as a giving and caring person who wanted to become an international business professional. She worked for the MassMutual life insurance company in Las Vegas and dreamed of one day traveling to her favorite city, Paris, they said.
“She had a lot of spunk and a lot of style,” Rhiner’s godfather, Paul Meadows, said. “There was no challenge to big or too hard for her to overcome.”
Two family representatives, who spoke to the media today at Metro Police headquarters, said they saw no signs of violence between Rhiner and Hanson during their brief relationship.
Friend Freddy Lopez said the couple met in a pottery class and that they only went on a few dates.
“What happened to Makayla should make everyone aware of the perils of domestic violence,” Lopez said in Spanish. “If you see something, say something.”
