‘Unprovoked’ bludgeoning that left woman dead captured on video

An “unprovoked” bludgeoning that left a woman dead and a man with life-threatening injuries Monday night in central Las Vegas was caught on surveillance footage, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

A camera captured the victims strolling down a sidewalk about 9:45 p.m. on the 600 block of Owens Avenue, police said. As they reached a fence, they pointed at “something or someone” in the adjacent parking lot.

That is when a person donning dark clothes came into frame, police said. The individual, later identified by police as Vanessa Rena Harvey, 47, then used a “long pole or piece of metal” to strike down the female victim and then the man, according to an arrest report for Harvey. After the victims went down, she attacked them again.

Machika Goodjoint, 42, died at the scene, while the male victim was rushed to University Medical Center in critical condition, said police, noting in the arrest report that he had been stabilized.

Officers quickly found Harvey near the crime scene near Interstate 15 and H Street, police said. She was sitting on top of a bloodied piece of metal.

Harvey, who was uncooperative with officers, did not speak to detectives.

It was not clear if she knew the victims.

The surviving victim was unconscious at the hospital at the time the arrest report was prepared.

Harvey was being held without bail Friday at the Clark County Detention Center on one count each of murder, attempted murder and battery with a deadly weapon, Las Vegas Justice Court logs show. She is due to appear in court Monday morning.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.