Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - The Murder of Nichole Nick

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

Nichole Nick had dreams of reuniting with her children—but a violent relationship ended in tragedy. Nichole was a Las Vegas local, a loving mother, sister, and daughter whose family described her as vibrant and full of hope, but behind the scenes, she was trapped in a relationship that had turned dangerous.She confided in her mother about her plans to leave Robert Brown, a man with a violent history and controlling behavior. But before she could take that step toward freedom, her life—and her family’s—was shattered in the most devastating way imaginable.https://sinspod.co/62sourcesDomestic 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! Get ad-free access for only $1 a month or ad-free and bonus episodes for $3 a monthApple 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 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.

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! Nicole Nick was a Las Vegas local, a loving mother, sister, and daughter, whose family described her as vibrant and full of hope. But behind the scenes, she was trapped in a relationship that had turned dangerous. She confided in her mother about her plans to leave Robert Brown, a man with a violent history and controlling behavior. But before she could

take that step toward freedom, her life and her family's was shattered in the most devastating devastating way imaginable. Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence, as well as 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. Today we're talking about Nicole Ellen Nick, a loving mother, sister, and daughter who became the victim of a horrifying act of domestic violence. One thing I'll share before we get started is that Nicole is sometimes referred to as Nicole Nick, but also sometimes referred to as Nicole Maestas. Let's start with what we were able to learn about Nicole's background. John, do you want to take it from here? Sure. Nicole Ellen Nick Maestas was born in Las Vegas

on October 31st, 1983. Her family described her as kind-hearted, vibrant, and full of life. She had a bright smile that could light up any room and attended basic high school in Henderson. Her mother's name is Esther Maestas, and she had a sister named Kathleen. Nicole had two children and was described as a devoted mother. She was in the process of resolving a custody dispute, and her two kids were living in Arizona. Her mother explained to the press that Nicole was hopeful and excited to reunite with her children by the end of 2012. In the summer of 2012, Nicole entered a relationship with Robert Brown Jr. Brown, born in 1970, had a deeply troubling history of violence.

He was convicted of attempted murder of his ex-wife in 1998. The press coverage of that crime is pretty inconsistent, with news outlets describing the crime he committed as a carjacking. Both the Review Journal and Fox 5 Las Vegas News stated that Brown broke into the woman's car and slashed her multiple times with a box cutter. He was convicted and spent seven years in prison, with some news outlets stating that he spent up to nine years in prison. News 3 Las Vegas reported that he had served time in California for assaulting his girlfriend, but it's unclear if that was the same incident as the attack on his ex-wife.

Unfortunately, Robert Brown is a common name, which made researching his background very challenging, so we aren't able to offer any additional details. We know he often used the name Ariel, and that the Department of Corrections listed one of his aliases as Pee-wee. Before we get into the events leading up to Nicole's death, there's another critical chapter in her life we need to discuss. In 2001, when Nicole was just 17 years old, she was dating a 21-year-old man named Jeffrey Canterbury. They had been together for about two years.

Jeff was wanted by the police in connection with the murder of a 20-year-old Henderson man named Norman Edward Byers. Byers, often called Little Norm, was found shot and killed in his Henderson apartment in May of 2001. Byers was a young father, leaving behind an infant son, and was deeply loved by his large family. His obituary described him as a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, someone who enjoyed paintball, BMX bikes, motorcycles, camping, and mountain biking. At the time of his murder, Byers worked as a culinary employee at the Rainbow Club, a small casino located on Water Street in downtown Henderson. The community was shocked by his death, and the case quickly drew attention.

A man named Jeremy Buckles was arrested at first, but police also named Jeff as a second suspect. According to Nicole, Jeff told her that he didn't kill Byers and that someone had taken his gun and shot him over a misunderstanding about a debt. The police obtained information about where Jeff was living, and they obtained a warrant for a late-night raid to apprehend him. The police would later admit that they initially incorrectly entered a nearby apartment first, mistaking it for Jeff's address and terrifying the family inside. Nicole would later explain that she and Jeff, quote, heard them go into the other apartment and he knew they were coming for him.

He told me he loved me and that no matter what happened, he loved the time he spent with me. He told me he wasn't going to shoot. He didn't want to die. When police finally entered Jeff's apartment, they found the two of them lying in bed together. Officers claimed that Jeff was armed and using Nicole as a human shield, but Nicole later testified at the inquest about the shooting that it wasn't true. She said that she was trying to protect him from being killed and that she wasn't afraid of Jeff. According to officers, Nicole was yelling,

he's got a gun, he's going to kill me. Officers said that Jeff had a gun pointed at her side. Despite Nicole's description of events, officers reported that Jeff pushed Nicole to the side and then pointed the gun at them, prompting them to open fire. Jeff was killed instantly, and Nicole, lying next to him, narrowly escaped being hit. She said the bullet went right by her ear. During the inquest into the shooting, Jeff's brother testified that they both loved each other and he would never have pulled the gun if there was a chance she could be hurt. If he was by himself, he would probably have shot at the police. The shooting was found to be justified. Nicole was deeply affected by the incident. She insisted that Jeff never raise the gun and that

the officers had misjudged the situation. One of the insisted that Jeff never raised the gun and that the officers had misjudged the situation. One of the things that stood out in the articles about the shooting and the inquest was that Nicole had kept sentimental items from Jeff, including the label from the last beer he drank and the peel from the last orange he ate. I think it's safe to assume that this shooting likely had an effect on her for some time. The author John Irving, our listeners may know him as the author of The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany, has a quote in his novel, A Widow for One Year, about luck. He wrote, fortune and misfortune are unequally distributed, if not at birth, then in the course of circumstances beyond our control,

and in the seemingly random pattern of colliding events, the people we meet, when we meet them, and if or when these important people might chance to meet someone else. When I was researching Nicole's story, this quote came to mind immediately because it sounded like Nicole had an unfair share of misfortune in her life. In 2012, Nicole lived in the Canyon Point apartment complex in Las Vegas, located on the east side of Vegas near Boulder Highway and the Samstown Casino. Robert Brown also lived in the same complex. Nicole kept her apartment, but by December of 2012, the two of them were living together. As the holidays were approaching, Nicole's mother, Esther, came into town to visit from Wyoming. She brought her three-year-old

granddaughter, Nicole's niece, who we'll call Amber, with her. Since Nicole's apartment was empty, Amber and Esther arranged to stay there during their trip. Robert gave Esther the keys to Nicole's apartment when she arrived, and all of them had dinner together on December 5th. Esther had met Robert several times before, once before she moved away to Wyoming, and she talked with him several times over Skype during calls with her daughter. Esther was aware that Nicole and Robert's relationship had started to deteriorate.

Nicole had told her mom that she wanted to leave Robert due to the way he had been treating her. On December 7th, Nicole and Robert had a fight. Robert was reportedly very upset over rent money that he claimed Nicole owed him. That strikes me as pretty weird because Nicole was paying rent on her own apartment, but apparently Robert expected her to pay rent on his as well. The fight continued over the course of the day, with the two of them calling and texting each other repeatedly. Neighbors reported hearing them arguing. At some point, Robert threw Nicole out of the apartment. The two of them fought like this on occasion, with Nicole going back to her place for a few days before they would get back together. But this time, when Nicole got home from work, Robert texted her and told her that

all her stuff was out on the balcony. And sure enough, Esther was able to see that he had put all of her daughter's stuff right out there on the balcony. Nicole returned home from work to her own apartment, and she and Esther rearranged the sleeping arrangements now that Nicole would be back staying with Amber and Esther. The three of them then sat down in the living room together and watched the movie Pocahontas. After the movie was over, Nicole and Amber were very tired, so the two of them went to sleep in the bedroom, and Esther tucked Amber into the toddler bed they set up in the corner of the room. Esther then went back to the living room to watch another movie. It was around 10 p.m. Before Esther could even

start that second movie, she heard a loud and disturbing bang on the front door, like someone was trying to kick the door in. She heard a second loud bang, and before she could even react, Robert Brown jumped through the large picture window next to the front door, shattering glass all over the living room. He was dressed all in black and wearing gloves and a black beanie. He was armed with a gun. Esther, of course, recognized him and screamed to Nicole that it was Robert and that he had a gun. Nicole shouted for her mom to call the police. She came out of the bedroom and into the living room.

When Robert saw her, he said, oh yeah, bitch, and shot Nicole. She ran back into the bedroom and Robert followed her. Esther also ran toward the bedroom, though she would later say her memory of the exact events was pretty hazy, which is understandable given the circumstances. Esther said she heard several more gunshots and found herself on the floor near the bedroom door. She said she didn't even realize that she had been shot until she tried to stand up and her arm was just dangling by her side. She would later state in the preliminary hearing that she might have blacked out at some point because she didn't exactly recall how she got to the bedroom. She then saw Brown standing over Nicole. Nicole was telling him that he was hurting her,

and he said to her, do you think you're going to disrespect me and make a fool out of me? Esther couldn't see what Brown was doing to Nicole, but police believed he was stabbing her. Amber woke up and started crying. Robert turned to the girl and pointed the gun at her. Esther and Nicole started screaming and pleading with him not to hurt the baby girl. Nicole, in a final act of selflessness and bravery, dove toward Amber and shielded her as the two of them fell to the floor. Esther heard more gunshots and believed both of them had been shot as neither of them were moving. Brown then climbed over Esther on his way out of the apartment. He then turned around and fired several more shots at her.

He then fled. Esther knew she needed to get help, so she crawled out the front door into a neighbor's apartment and pleaded with the neighbor to call the police. She tried to crawl back to the bedroom to her daughter and granddaughter, but collapsed in the living room. When police arrived, Esther was lying on the floor, but collapsed in the living room. When police arrived, Esther was lying on the floor bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. She had been shot six times, thigh, groin area, left leg, left arm, in her side, and in her stomach. She told the officer, Robert did it, Robert did it. She was taken to Sunrise Hospital in serious condition for

emergency surgery. Amber was completely unharmed physically due to her aunt's bravery, but Nicole was pronounced dead at the scene. She was only 29 years old. The doctors at Sunrise ordered the staff not to disclose Nicole's death to Esther because she was fighting for her life. Esther did recover from her physical injuries, including needing to have most of her upper left arm reconstructed, but Esther has said that the emotional scars of the attack will never go away. Amber also suffered trauma as a result of Brown's actions. Amber believed that Brown was shooting at her and knew that he had killed her aunt, Nicole. For hours, she thought her grandmother had been killed as well

until she was finally able to be reunited with Esther in the hospital. According to Esther, after the shooting, Amber started hiding in closets out of fear. A bullet hole was found in Amber's bed, and one bullet that Robert fired went through the wall and hit the side rail of a toddler bed in a neighboring apartment. Robert's action could easily have resulted in the deaths of multiple people. Nicole's autopsy revealed that she had died from multiple gunshot and stab wounds. As Sean said, Robert fled the apartment. Police recovered his gun not far from the complex, just one street over. Robert himself, however, evaded capture for 14 months. It wasn't until April 14, 2014 that he was finally arrested. Las Vegas Metro Police did

not make the details of his arrest available to the press. He was charged with multiple felonies, including murder with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, child abuse or endangerment, and home invasion. The arrest brought relief to Nicole's grieving family, though it marked the beginning of a long and painful legal process. We have covered cases before where the justice system moves extremely slowly. This, unfortunately unfortunately is another example of that. Robert Brown was able to delay his trial date for 10 years. During that time, Brown always claimed to be innocent, and he dismissed multiple court-appointed attorneys.

John, you pointed out that not only did this remind you of Thomas Randolph, but also Bobby Richards, who murdered his wife Bronwyn in 2010, but wasn't sentenced until 2016. Early on, the state of Nevada announced its intent to seek the death penalty in the case against Richard Brown. Brown's attorneys did attempt to challenge the constitutionality of the death penalty under Nevada law, but failed. The defense's case stressed that there was minimal forensic evidence that linked Brown to the crime scene. However, the prosecution had a very strong case, primarily because Esther was a credible witness who had identified Brown as the shooter. The jury convicted Brown of home

invasion with a deadly weapon, burglary with a deadly weapon, murder with a deadly weapon, two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, eight counts of discharging a firearm within a structure, child abuse, neglect, or endangerment with a deadly weapon, two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, eight counts of discharging a firearm within a structure, child abuse, neglect, or endangerment with a deadly weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. It was pointed out in the Review Journal that Nicole and Nick's murder had gotten very little media coverage up to the point that Robert Brown was sentenced on October 9th, 2024. As the state declared they would be seeking the death penalty, a separate sentencing hearing was held, and both sides presented arguments to the same trial jury on whether Brown should be sentenced to death. Brown requested that he not be required to attend the sentencing hearing, and the judge granted that request, which, again, is not something I thought you could do, to refuse to be transported for your own sentencing hearing. Brown's legal team argued that he had been abused as a child and had witnessed his father abuse his mother.

While in prison, Brown had received treatment for mental illness and he had tried to die by suicide multiple times. His attorneys argued that he should receive a sentence of life in prison and pointed out that he would be confined in his cell for 23 hours a day. His attorney said, Why would I be asking you to give Robert Brown life in prison? It's simple. His life matters because all life has value. We're talking about the punishment, and nothing I say to you diminishes Nicole Nick.

She was a beautiful young woman who didn't deserve to die, but an eye for an eye is not the answer. The prosecution pointed out Brown's history of violence against women and that he had committed multiple acts of violence while incarcerated, including an incident where he beat up another inmate while the other man refused to hit him back. They also pointed out that he had disguised himself during the crime and evaded capture for 14 months. The jury deliberated for only two hours before they returned Robert Brown's sentence, death. This death sentence surprised the prosecutors and many members of the community,

including District Attorney Steve Wolfson. This was the first time in seven years that someone had been sentenced to death in Clark County. The last person was Thomas Randolph, the Black widower who had been sentenced to death in 2017 for hiring a hitman to kill his wife and then murdering that hitman, Michael Miller. The Nevada Supreme Court later overturned that conviction, but during his second trial in 2023, he was found guilty, but the prosecutor spared him from the death penalty based on his advanced age. Randolph is currently serving a life sentence. We covered his story in a four-part series last season, and you can listen at sinspod.co slash black widower. Nevada hasn't executed anyone in almost 20 years. The last time was in 2006. Brown's attorney, Lance Meningo, told the press that the defense was shocked and disappointed by the sentence. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told a review journal,

this is not a case where I would have thought that the death penalty would have been returned as compared to so many other cases. There are some cases, the triple murders, the double murders of children, that you can see where a jury would come back with death more easily than others, but it all depends on the makeup of the 12 people. Wolfson also revealed that during the trial, Brown's attorneys asked the state to take the death penalty off the table, but the state refused. D.A. Wolfson told the R.J. that since Brown wouldn't plead guilty, the state wasn't willing to take it off the table without exchanging it for something. We want to note that in that same interview, Wolfson denied using the death penalty as a negotiating tool. Wolfson said that he is willing to stop pursuing capital punishment in cases where the defense comes to him with mitigating evidence, and that he's been more selective when seeking capital punishment. During my research, I came across several articles where both death penalty

abolitionists and people who support capital punishment pointed out that the sentencing of Brown to death in this case seemed disproportionate to the crime. As many of you are aware, the appeals process in death penalty cases can last for decades. Also, Nevada's supply of lethal injection drugs expired in 2022, and just a few years ago, there was talk of commuting all of Nevada's death row sentences to life in prison as a result. Currently, there are 60 people on death row in Nevada, and we have no way of knowing if Robert Brown will ever be executed. He was also sentenced by the trial judge to 32 to 80 years for the other crimes he was convicted of,

such as the attempted murders of Amber and Esther and the home invasion. Nicole was laid to rest at the Palm Mortuary in Henderson. On her memorial page, a friend of her has left this message. My kids are missing you. You were a big part of our lives, and without you here, we feel empty. My son is taking it hard, were a big part of our lives and without you here we feel empty. My son is taking it hard and my daughter still knocks on the apartment door waiting for you but I told them to look up because you are watching us through the holes in heaven's floor. Of course, if we have any updates about this case, we'll be sure to share them with you all. And just a reminder that if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and needs support, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or 7233. There's

also a list of resources on our webpage at sinsandsurvivors.com and always in our show notes. You can even access those at simspod.co slash resources. We also want to remind you that you can also call 988 if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis. Please be sure to follow us on social media for updates and resources. January is Stalking Awareness Month and we are sharing information and resources

on our Instagram and Facebook to help folks who are affected by stalking. You can also help support the show by sharing it with a friend and please consider leaving us a review on whatever platform you're listening on. It really helps, and we greatly appreciate it. Thanks as always for listening, and remember what happens here, happens everywhere. To be continued... 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.