‘I cut his throat with glass’: Texas man accused of killing ex-wife, 37, on Las Vegas getaway: Victim’s three children who were also on vacation can’t attend funeral due to ‘competence issues’
- Nydia Lopez-Garcia, 37, was found dead in a room at the MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on May 28
- Fernando Gomez, 42, her ex-husband from whom she separated last year, has been arrested and charged with killing her
The children of a Texas mother who was allegedly murdered by her ex-husband during a weekend getaway to Las Vegas cannot attend her funeral due to ‘jurisdictional issues’.
Nydia Lopez-Garcia, 37, was found dead in a room at the MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on May 28. Fernando Gomez, 42, her ex-husband from whom she separated last year, has been arrested and charged with killing her.
According to police, Gomez “killed his ex-wife and then injured himself before calling the police.” During the 911 call, he told officers, “I cut his throat with glass,” KSNV reports.
The couple, who shared three children, were married for 14 years but decided to separate in 2022. However, they recently reconnected and decided to spend the weekend together in Las Vegas.
Lopez-Garcia’s cause of death was listed as strangulation, with other significant injuries and acute force injuries to the head and neck.
Fernando Gomez, 42, is accused of killing his ex-wife. They were on the weekend in Las Vegas. He allegedly confessed his guilt to officers.
Nydia Lopez-Garcia, 37, was found dead in a room at the MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on May 28. She is pictured with her three children – two of whom were forced to stay in Nevada instead of returning to Texas.
Their three children also joined them in Las Vegas – but were staying in another hotel room.
Now the family faces another struggle. Candace Garza, Nydia Lopez-Garcia’s sister, says two of the children were unable to return home to Mesquite, Texas because Gomez still has parental rights over them.
The two youngest children cannot attend their mother’s funeral.
It could take two months before the children can return to Texas, their aunt claims.
Garza said SCS: ‘The children were in another hotel room. My sister fought to find the children. It was a brutal murder due to domestic violence.
‘[The children] handed over to me, but we’re not allowed to leave Clark County until the jurisdictional details are settled between Las Vegas and Dallas.
“I am told that the judges in Las Vegas must communicate with the judges in Texas and that they must transfer their jurisdiction.
‘This is honestly…and I don’t say this lightly…this is the most difficult, challenging thing I’ve ever dealt with in my entire life.
“Your sister was taken from you in a brutal murder, there are orphans who cannot return home.
They are not even allowed to go to their mother’s funeral. We are trying to delay his funeral so we can bring them home and time is running out.
“They are grieving with one person instead of a supportive family, surrounding them with love.”
THE GoFundMe the page read: “At the heart of this story is a family who suffered an unimaginable act. Three children have lost their mother to a senseless act of violence, and they are now overwhelmed in the midst of their grief for the next step.
“Their mother was a victim of domestic violence and lost her life on May 28, 2023 in a hotel room at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
‘Currently their Aunt Candace on their mother’s side has just received their emergency custody but will have to stay in Las Vegas for now (they live in a suburb of Dallas TX).
“As you know, the financial burden that accompanies a tragedy can be just as devastating as the emotional toll.
“The family is in urgent need of financial assistance and I hope their story resonates with the public.”
