SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A former player for the Stockton Kings, the Sacramento Kings G League affiliate, faced charges of kidnapping and murder in connection with the death of 23-year-old Marayna Rodgers in Nevada. Chance Comanche, 27, was arraigned in court on Tuesday, alongside his alleged accomplice Sakiri Harndon, 19.

According to an arrest report from the Las Vegas Police Department, Comanche and Harndon had planned for months to kill Rodgers. Comanche confessed to strangling Rodgers inside Harndon’s vehicle on December 15, after luring her away from her friends under false pretenses. The text messages recovered in the report indicated a premeditated effort to carry out the abduction and murder.

Following his confession, Comanche led investigators to Rodgers’ body, which was found in a Las Vegas suburb. The murder allegedly took place just hours after the Stockton Kings played the G League Ignite in Las Vegas on December 5. Comanche was subsequently arrested at the Stockton Kings practice facility and appeared in court in Sacramento. He waived his extradition rights and is set to be transferred to Clark County, Nevada for further proceedings.

Rodgers, a medical assistant from Washington State, had been reported missing on December 7. It was revealed that Comanche and Harndon plotted to kidnap and kill Rodgers over two different issues. Comanche’s attorney declined to comment to the press outside the courthouse, and Comanche was released from the Stockton Kings the day of his arrest.

This devastating case has shocked the community and brought attention to the tragic loss of a young life. The legal process will now unfold as Comanche and Harndon face the legal consequences of their alleged actions.