Woman suspected in Las Vegas random killing says she suffers from schizophrenia

A woman accused of randomly killing a worker in a west valley apartment complex last month told detectives that she had mental health ailments and didn’t remember shooting anyone, according to her Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.

Kayla Alery, 27, is facing a murder charge in the death of Raul Cardoza, a veteran carpet cleaner who worked with his brother, who was next to him when he was shot, police said.

The 41-year-old victim is also survived by two daughters.

The lone gunshot was fired in broad daylight March 26 in the Venicia Apartments in the 3600 block of South Fort Apache Road near West Twain Avenue.

Police said Alery, who did not live at the complex, had been discovered trying to open car doors. Staff at the complex were escorting her out when she walked past the two brothers and shot into the van.

Cardoza died at University Medical Center, police said. An armed Alery was arrested at a nearby neighborhood.

Detectives spoke to multiple people who saw the shooting, according to the report.

Alery told police that she didn’t remember what she did that day or obtaining the gun, which she said she must have stolen because she could not afford one.

She acknowledged that a suspect seen on video looked like her, and said that she hears voices, suffers from schizophrenia and “sometimes blacks out for days.”

Alery is a convicted arsonist who was on parole at the time of the shooting, records show. She is being held without bail on the murder count, along with one count each of possession of a gun by a felon, shooting into an occupied structure and concealing a weapon without a permit.

She’s due in court Thursday.

Cardoza, a native of El Salvador, was remembered as a dedicated worker beloved by his employer and the company’s customers.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.