A Minnesota woman who mistakenly shot her boyfriend to death in a stunt concocted for YouTube fame "tragically relied on his assurances" before pulling the trigger, the prosecutor said Wednesday after the woman was sentenced to jail.
Monalisa Perez's punishment, as outlined in an agreement to plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter, is a 180-day jail term and lifetime bans on possessing a firearm or receiving payment for telling the story of the June shooting of 22-year-old Pedro Ruiz III outside their home in the northwestern Minnesota town of Halstad.
The sentence falls below state sentencing guidelines that would have sent her to prison. Norman County Attorney James Brue said that was proper under the circumstances for the 20-year-old mother of two.
Brue said he is satisfied that the sentence holds her accountable for "culpable negligence that led to the tragic and completely avoidable death."
He also pointed out "the reality that this foolish stunt was dreamed up, planned, and executed by Pedro Ruiz, and the defendant wrongfully and tragically relied on his assurances that the stunt was safe."
Two of Ruiz's relatives made victim impact statements during the proceedings. Perez chose not to speak.
Claudia Ruiz, an aunt of Pedro Ruiz, told reporters afterward that Perez understood what she was doing when she participated in the stunt, which was recorded with two cameras set up by the couple.
Judge Jeffrey Remick agreed that Perez can serve her jail time in South Dakota, where she now lives.
