Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - Remembering Rizza

Episode Date: May 7, 2024

On a Friday night in June 2023, Rizza Abrera was sitting in the nail salon she owned, getting her nails done. Her ex-boyfriend, a man who had raised many red flags for her family, burst in, grabbed Rizza by the forearm, and dragged her outside. Several witnesses tried to stop him, but he pulled out a gun, threw Rizza into his SUV, and sped away, barricading himself in his Southwest Valley home with two other women, and their 3-year-old daughter.Las Vegas Metro’s SWAT team negotiated with him for hours before they finally went in. When they did, they discovered the unthinkable inside his home.http://sinspod.co/episode26sourcesDomestic Violence Resourceshttp://sinspod.co/resourcesClick here to become a member of our Patreon!https://sinspod.co/patreonVisit and join our Patreon now and access our ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content & schwag!Apple Podcast Subscriptionshttps://sinspod.co/appleWe're now offering premium membership benefits on Apple Podcast Subscriptions! On your mobile deviceLet us know what you think about the episodehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2248640/open_sms Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.

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A meeting that could have been an email, someone explaining crypto, or switching mobile providers. Except with Fizz. Switching to Fizz is quick and easy. Mobile plans start at $17 a month. Certain conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. To listen ad-free, visit zinspod.co slash subscribe. Starting at $2.99 a month, you'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show! Several witnesses tried to stop him, but he pulled out a gun, threw Riza into his SUV, and sped away, barricading himself in his Southwest Valley home with two other women and their three-year-old daughter. Las Vegas Metro SWAT team negotiated with him for hours before they finally went in. When they did, they discovered the unthinkable inside his home.

Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, where we focus on domestic violence, missing persons, and unsolved cases. I'm your host, Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John. I am the only John in the room. Sometimes there are cases we'd like to cover, but it turns out to be hard because most of the information out there is about the murderer or the horrible details of the crime, with often just a passing mention of the victim. They're often totally overlooked, and we don't want to cover a case and end up just telling you about the crime itself. Occasionally, you'll find an interview with the victim's family, but not always. This case has a bit of that, but we were able to find out a little more about Risa, so we'll be focusing more on her.

Another thing that seems to happen a lot here in Las Vegas is home barricades. It seems like you can't go a week without hearing about a street or neighborhood being on lockdown because someone has locked themselves in their home with someone, and it rarely ends well. The weird thing we've noticed about these barricade cases is that they're almost always treated just like traffic reports. The news mostly focuses on the impact to traffic and the commute, not the human cost, and the impact to the victim or their family that's left behind. It's very frustrating. In the coverage, you'll get a name, age, and a cause of death many times, and then the news cycle just moves on. They're all tragedies, and they all involve the loss of real people who are friends, sisters, moms, and daughters. You want to start by telling us about Riza? Sure. Riza was born in the Philippines to parents Myrna and Dennis Stoney on January 12, 1985. Her family is pretty huge. She has four brothers, Rico, Raniel, Ricardo, and Jeffrey,

and two sisters, Rodeline and Rihamir. She also has four children, ranging in age from 3 to 17. Her oldest three kids are from a prior relationship, but her youngest she had with her ex-boyfriend, Steven. One of the things we noticed in the many comments left by loved ones about Risa was that one of her daughters is named after a friend of hers who has passed away. She obviously loved her friends as if they were family. On her obituary website, you can see dozens of photos and tributes from friends from throughout her life. While we're talking about photos, I want to share that my favorite photo of her and her kids that we saw was the one from Christmas, where the five of them,

Risa included, all wore matching pajamas. They took a sweet, smiling photo with Santa, but they also took a goofy photo with silly faces and their tongues sticking out. Even Santa made a goofy face in the photo. They're so sweet and beautiful, but also painful to see. Back to her childhood, Risa was athletic growing up and played basketball and soccer. She loved science and especially playing with insects. She was so smart, in fact, that she skipped third grade. Her family moved to Las Vegas. Of course, Risa became a Golden Knights fan right from the start of their inaugural season. She loved hockey, she loved the Golden Knights, and she would post on her social media how bummed out she was that it wasn't hockey season. She loved connecting with people,

cooking, watching TV shows and movies, and she even pursued a career in acting and modeling. She landed a role in a movie called Conspiracy Theory, which is a found footage horror movie about a film crew working in Southern Nevada and discovering a terrible secret lurking below Lake Mead. She was also in a pilot for a TV series called The 702, which the plot sounds a lot like that of The O.C., but set in Vegas. She also took jobs as a spokesmodel at CES and worked as a cocktail waitress for about 10 years before she finally opened her own business. She owned the K&M Nail Salon on Eastern and St. Rose. As you might have guessed, she also loved being a mom and she wanted to do everything for her kids.

She had plans for them to travel and she had them in self-defense classes at one Kix gym where they were learning Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA. She was always trying to improve herself, and her friends said she brought out the best in others. Her friend Jenny, on her memorial page, said that she was a hustler, but in a good way. That she worked several jobs to make sure that her kids had everything they needed. She said that Risa barely rested. Her ex-boyfriend, Stephen Robert Evans, was born in 1982, so he was about four years older than her. He went to Las Vegas High School and ran a dog breeding business where he bred pit bulls and

French bulldogs. The two of them were never married, but they did live together for many years, according to court testimony. Stephen was also a conspiracy theorist. Reading through his social media posts, it's pretty clear that he believed pretty much any conspiracy theory that he came across. There are posts about stopping the steal of the 2020 election, Pizzagate, the death of Jeffrey Epstein, and the New World Order. He was also an anti-vaxxer and posted about microchips and 5G. Coincidentally, Stephen shares a name with another man around his age who also lives in Las Vegas and who also has a significant criminal history. We strive to provide you with the most accurate information when we discuss cases, and out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of making sure we have the facts straight, we were cautious to leave information out of the episode

that we weren't 100% able to verify. According to what was reported by the Review Journal, Risa had a restraining order against Stephen. However, according to that reporting, any information about the restraining order had been sealed by the court. We will talk about what we were able to learn about the restraining order in a minute, but for now, we will say that we don't know what the circumstances were that led to the order being filed or when it was filed. Stephen does have a record of being charged with burglary, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, and not surprisingly, domestic violence. However, all of those charges were dismissed. On November 11th, 2022, there is a court record that shows Risa was arrested for domestic violence, but those charges were dropped. Her attorney moved for the charges to be dropped and the state

agreed. It's not uncommon for the police to be called out on a domestic violence call to find two domestic partners fighting and simply arrest them both. It seems pretty questionable given that Risa's family has said that Stephen was the domestic abuser in the relationship time and time again, not to mention the fact that he was about twice her size. The details of the court proceedings for both Risa and Stephen are hard to come by, probably because of the children involved. We are trying not to speculate too much when we just don't have the information. We do know that on November 14th, 2022, Risa filed in the family court suing Stephen for custody of their three-year-old daughter. Again, the specifics are not public. On November 15th, Risa posted on Facebook, at the end of the day, your cars, house, your property are just things that can easily be

replaced. Your body, your heart, your brain, and your health cannot be replaced. Protect it as if your life depends on it and always put you first. Hashtag new beginnings. Hashtag happy. It seems like whatever happened on November 11th was a turning point for Risa, and she had had enough. She moved out of the house she shared with Stephen, and moved in with family members. According to her friend Jenny, around this time, good, positive things started happening for Risa. She opened her nail salon, and she was finding love for herself. She said she had found a new calling and she was thriving and in love with life. The flip side is that she told Nick Blomgren, a friend who managed the martial arts gym she sent her kids to, that she was having no luck in getting away from Stephen.

She said she'd called lawyers, gone to the police, but he'd suffered no consequences and wouldn't leave her alone. He was quoted as saying, the system had failed her. That's a common thread among the stories we cover. You often hear police talk about how, if you're in a domestic violence situation, you should go and get help, and while that's absolutely true, many times these women try everything to get help, but the court system completely fails them. That happened to Fucao in our second episode, and it happened to Risa, too. Blomgren told Fox 5 News in Las Vegas that he'd tried to call the police about Evans,

but of course, the police wouldn't comment, saying that it was an ongoing investigation. This case is so eerily similar to Fucao's murder that it's infuriating. From the salon, to the kidnapping, to the barricade, to the broken system, seven years later, another woman who sought help is murdered in Las Vegas. On January 25th, 2023, there was a hearing regarding the child custody suit Risa had filed.

Risa was not present at the hearing, according to her attorney, because she was in the hospital. We don't have any additional information about that. Custody was resolved with both Stephen and Riza having joint custody and equal time with their daughter. During the hearing, Riza's attorney stated that the protection order needed to remain in place. We aren't sure if the protection order that was referenced is the same one that was reported in the press as being sealed. According to her attorney, the restraining order was working, and the two of them needed to be ordered not to talk to each other except about their daughter. There was to be no discussion about their past romantic relationship. Custody swapping was going to continue to happen through Stephen's sister or in public places. Stephen was also ordered to pay her attorney's fees of over $5,000, and he was ordered to give Risa back the title to her car, as well as the appliances that were

still in his house that she had bought. Again, they were never married, but the court was involved in helping the two separate, which was complicated given the abuse and the amount of time they had lived together. As you have heard us say before, the most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is when they try to leave. By the summer of 2023, Risa was moving on, her salon was doing well, and her friends and family noticed things were going well for her. On June 16th, 2023, a Friday night, Risa was getting her nails done in her salon around 7.30 p.m. In security video from the salon, you can see Steven burst in the door and violently grab her by the wrist and forearm, hoisting her off her feet, breaking her arm and sending the chair she was sitting on and the nail supplies on the table flying. He then started dragging her

along the floor and out of the salon. Her employee, Kevin Nguyen, who was doing her manicure, ran after them. Stephen kicked Kevin, who collapsed to the floor. He regained consciousness a moment later and saw Stephen pick Risa up and put her in his SUV. According to Kevin, someone else had driven the SUV to the salon. He said that someone opened the SUV door from the inside so that Stephen could put Risa in there. Kevin attempted to run to the other side of the SUV and pull Risa out, and he said that it was clear risa's arm or shoulder was broken and although he was yelling at her to run she was unable to run away steven got out of the suv and pointed a gun at both of them evans kicked both

of them again and then grabbed risa by her hair and yanked her back into the SUV. Evans pointed the gun at Kevin, who fled into a nearby store, called 911, and reported a kidnapping at gunpoint. Knowing who the suspect was, the police headed to Stephen Evans' house in the 9600 block of Scrub J Court near West Sunset Road and South Grand Canyon Drive. When they arrived, they observed the SUV in the driveway and noted no one was in the car or outside and set up a perimeter around the home in the neighborhood. The police soon learned that their three-year-old daughter was also inside the house along with two other women whose identities have never been released. The SWAT team and hostage negotiators arrived and over the course of the next few hours, they were able to secure the release of one of the women and the child. The police were told

that Riza was unconscious inside, and that Evans had access to several guns. Around 10pm, they decided to breach the house and used flashbang grenades to enter. They found Riza unresponsive, and Evans was found in an upstairs bedroom with a fatal, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Risa was pronounced dead at the scene, and according to the coroner, she died from multiple sharp and blunt injuries and strangulation. The other woman was found hiding in a bedroom, unhurt. The police reached the obvious conclusion that Evans murdered Risa and then shot himself. They described him as her ex-boyfriend who had been stalking her and wanted her back.

According to her gym owner friend Nick, he was so obsessed with her and didn't want anyone else to have her. Risa's family has also come forward, stating that they saw red flags about Stephen from the beginning. Her sister Lynn said that Stephen had almost killed her several times, and that Risa knew it was going to happen, she just didn't know when. Her oldest daughter told 8 News Now that her mother was a victim of domestic abuse, and that there had been abuse in the relationship from the very beginning of it all. Unfortunately, this case attracted a lot of victim blaming, according to Reza's oldest daughter. It's always so heartbreaking to hear that her daughter

had to hear all of this victim blaming, none of which is true. We've covered this a few times, but it's worth remembering that a victim can do everything in her power to get away from an abuser and still end up being murdered. Several people in Risa's life had said she was doing everything possible, including calling the police, lawyers, and even getting a restraining order. She'd gone to the police and to the courts for help. People will often resort to victim blaming because they want to believe that if they are ever in the same situation, they will do the right things and they will be safe. Of course, we'll share the resources for getting help. We want to remind everyone listening that there are resources available to help victims of domestic violence.

So if you or someone in your life is in a dangerous situation, don't wait. Please do everything in your power to get them the resources to help themselves. You can even reach out to the resources on their behalf or for your own mental health and support. Her family hopes that people will hear and understand the red flags in a relationship. Her sister, Rick Meir, has expressed how hard it is to talk about RZA and not cry. Her oldest daughter has said that she feels no one talks about domestic violence enough. She understands that her mom is not the only victim and domestic violence has always been the problem. Domestic violence definitely continues to be a huge problem here in Las Vegas, not even 36 hours before Riza was killed, another young woman, 22-year-old Arias Eldridge was killed in a murder-suicide by her boyfriend, 18-year-old Gregory Ford.

Arias lived in North Las Vegas at Las Vegas Boulevard near Lake Mead. Around 9 a.m. on June 14, 2023, police were called to their apartment. Arias had been shot several times, and Gregory was dead from a single gunshot wound. Arias was transported to UMC, but later died from her injuries. That is all we know about the crime and their relationship. As we said earlier, it's not uncommon for the news media only to report the name and age of a victim and the location of where they died. Arias' family published a beautiful obituary for her and even included letters that they had written to her. She was born on April 30, 2001, and she was her parents' youngest and only daughter. They said she was a star from the moment she was born. She was bubbly and outgoing, fearless, and a force to be reckoned with. She was an animal lover, and from her looks to her style and down to her sweet-natured heart, Arias was an experience, and to described as a devoted mother who focused on instilling in her son strong values.

She had many hopes and dreams for herself and for her son. In less than a 48-hour time frame, these two remarkable mothers, sisters, and daughters were stolen from their families by these senseless acts of violence and control. We will continue to cover these cases and want to take a second to remind all of you that the suicide hotline is 988 and that we have a list of resources on our website for agencies that can help with safety planning and other support. That's at sinsandsurvivors.com. Thanks as always for listening and remember what happens here happens everywhere. Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod.co slash subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice.

You can contact us at questions at sinsandsurvivors.com. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by your hosts, Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of

the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.