Lorraine Alvarado, Herbert Muskin, Kassandra Alvarez (images of suspects via Las Vegas Metro Police; image of Muskin via FOX5 screeengrab)
A 101-year-old World War II veteran who suffered a broken neck in a senseless early March crash at a red light and died weeks later was the victim of a murder, authorities in Las Vegas, Nevada, now allege.
Army veteran Herbert Muskin died on March 30. The former captain’s wife of 67 years, Sherry Muskin, who was injured in the crash, told FOX5 her husband knew he wasn’t going to make it the night he died. The crash occurred while the couple was on their way home from shopping at Costco on the night of March 1.
“‘I am going to die’ he said, and I said ‘No. I can’t live without you,’ but he did die that night,” the inconsolable widow reportedly said, adding: “I am adjusting very bad. I am crying constantly. My eyes are swollen… I can’t cope with this. We have been inseparable for over 74 years.”
Sherry hoped that the suspects would be punished with “jail for the rest of their life.”
Herbert Muskin and Sherry Muskin pictured together in a previous FOX5 story after Herbert turned 101.
The felony murder suspects are Kassandra Alvarez, 29, the alleged getaway driver suspected of driving upwards of 90 mph, and Lorraine Alvarado, 32. Police held a briefing on March 6 and played video of the “officer-involved shooting” of Alvarado, a convicted felon who authorities said was armed with a handgun.
What began as a response to a sporting goods store robbery call after 6 p.m. on March 1 morphed into a high-speed chase of a stolen car, the deadly crash that killed Muskin, a foot chase, and ultimately the police wounding of Alvarado, which the video showed.
Moment Lorraine Alvarado was shot by Las Vegas police (via LVMPD)
Cops also shared a still image from another angle that they said even more definitively showed Alvarado was armed with a gun.
Lorraine Alvarado shooting still (police edit)
“Here’s a picture of it still in her hand from his point of view,” said LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Jim Seebock.
Alvarado was hospitalized after the shooting and was “noticeably” absent from court as the initial robbery case against Alvarez moved forward.
Like the other two suspects, alleged co-conspirator Mary Nolan, 39, was initially hit with larceny and possession of stolen property charges. Unlike the other suspects, however, a search of the Clark County court database did not show an indictment against Nolan or a docket. Law&Crime reached out to the Clark County DA’s office for clarification on the status of Nolan’s case.
8NewsNow reported that Nolan was accused of intentionally distracting store employees as the other two suspects tried to steal merchandise from Hibbet Sports. Nolan allegedly asked odd questions to draw attention to herself.
An aerial shot of the crash scene put together by Las Vegas police.
Moments later, Alvarado allegedly grabbed a firearm from Alvarez’s waistband and threatened store staff, 8NewsNow reported. The suspects allegedly took off in a Mercedes that they soon crashed — with deadly consequences. After the crash and during police interviews, the senselessness of the chase and crash over stolen clothes allegedly dawned on Alvarez and Nolan.
Lorraine Alvarado’s charges.
Kassandra Alvarez’s charges
Both Alvarado’s and Alvarez’s arraignments on numerous felony charges were set for Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. local time, Clark County court records say.
While defense attorney Kendall Stone is listed as representing Alvarado, John Turco is the lawyer of record for Alvarez.
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