‘Every single day feels heavy’: Slain man’s family grieves as Las Vegas killer is sentenced

Carpet cleaner Raul Cardoza-Lopez was sitting in his work van last March, going over estimates, when Kayla Alery approached him, shot him in the neck and killed him for no apparent reason.

“Raul was in his car, minding his own business,” said Deputy District Attorney Kassandra Acosta. “He did not put himself in harm’s way. He did not provoke this attack.”

District Judge Tierra Jones ordered Thursday that Alery, 28, will serve 16 years to life in prison.

Alery pleaded guilty but mentally ill in July to a count of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon for the 41-year-old’s death.

Ingry Cardoza said she never believed she would be in court talking about her father in the past tense.

“He was the one who protected us, believed in us, worked harder than anyone I’ve ever known to take care of us,” she tearfully told the court.

“Since losing him, every single day feels heavy,” she said. “I will never hear his laugh again, never feel his hug, never call him when I need advice.”

Alery also cried as the victim’s daughter spoke.

Ingry Cardoza and Acosta asked Jones to give Alery the maximum sentence, a total of 18 years to life in prison.

The prosecutor said Alery posed a danger to the community because of her mental health problems and background, including “a pattern of escalating violence” with multiple battery cases.

The defendant apologized to the victim’s family and asked for forgiveness.

“I was clearly not in my right state of mind,” she said. “I was off of my PTSD and schizophrenia medication. I was also under the influence of meth. I’ve struggled with mental health and addiction my whole life. I never knew anything else.”

She added: “I know you guys are wondering why any of this happened and I can say I honestly have no good reason.”

“Ms. Alery did not shoot Mr. Cardoza Lopez from a malignant heart,” Chief Deputy Special Public Defender James Ruggeroli said. “She shot him as a result of (a) mentally ill and traumatized mind.”

He said his client was abused as a child and began using drugs as a 13-year-old, according to the attorney.

Alery was also the passenger in a car when a friend was fatally shot, he said.

Jones acknowledged Alery’s mental health struggles, which showed the “very, very sad” state of mental health in Nevada, she said.

“But when this happens, then people look to the court,” the judge said.

At the time of the shooting of Cardoza-Lopez, Ruggeroli said his client was homeless and checking car doors, looking for money.

Police have said Alery was being escorted out of the apartment complex where the shooting occurred in the 3600 block of South Fort Apache Road near West Twain Avenue.

“The context of this was not a shooting that was done through anger,” Ruggeroli said. “It was really a product of a delusional mind that believed it was in danger.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.