A Las Vegas woman allegedly ran over her boyfriend and killed him after she found another woman’s tampons in the trash.
Julie Bush, 30, has been charged with murder, domestic battery, attempted murder, possession of a controlled substance and driving while under the influence, Clark County court records show.
On May 24, a 911 call was made claiming that Ms Bush had run over her boyfriend of a year, 51-year-old Richard Penardo Jr., in a suburb near downtown Las Vegas, according to 8NewsNow.
Penardo Jr was transported to hospital in critical condition with multiple brain bleeds and collapsed lungs. He died the following day.
Ms Bush reportedly told police that she had confronted her boyfriend after finding another woman’s tampons in the trash. During the argument, she claimed that Penardo Jr took a steel chain and started swinging it around her car, shattering the vehicle’s windows.
She then allegedly got into her car and accelerated into her boyfriend who hit a brick wall, 8NewsNow reported.
Police later obtained video of the incident showing Ms Bush following Penardo Jr in her car in what appeared to be a second attempt to him.
Law enforcement said they found bags of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the car, and that Ms Bush told them she had taken fentanyl in the hours leading up to the incident. Police were not able to initially determine who the tampons belonged to.
Ms Bush’s next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning. Bail has not been set in the case.
Penardo Jr. previously served time in prison for forgery, accessory to felony, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit murder. He took an Alford plea for his role in a woman’s death in 2008, meaning that while he did not admit guilt, he believed that officials had enough evidence to convict him.
The woman died from ligature strangulation and Penardo Jr. allegedly helped two women, including his wife at the time, dispose of her body. He was sentenced to two to five years in prison.
