Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - The Unsolved Murder of Graciela Alicia Gomez

Episode Date: April 14, 2026

We have two unsolved cases for you this week. The first is the random high-profile tragic murder of Graciela Alicia Gomez, a national guard soldier, and the second is the baffling murder of Irma Mkrtchyan, a homicide with some baffling circumstances.Listen, share, and if you have any information about these two cases, please contact the authorities. As always, you can remain anonymoushttps://sinspod.co/121https://sinspod.co/121sourceshttps://sinspod.co/121transcripthttps://sinspod.co/121bloghttps://sinspod.co/121subBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.Domestic 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

To listen ad-free, visit sinspod.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. It was Halloween 2021, and some folks on the east side of Las Vegas decided to rent a house and throw a party. Word started to spread online, and within a few hours, the hosts were completely overwhelmed when more than 300 people showed up. The host started taking steps to make sure that the party was safe for everyone. When a group was turned away because they refused to be patted down, they sped away firing shots into the night. One of those bullets struck and killed a National Guard soldier, Graciella, Alicia Gomez,

and five years later, her killer or killers, are still at large. 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 I'm your co-host John. We've spoken many times on the podcast how Las Vegas Metro maintains a database online of their open and unsolved homicide cases. Most of the time, the information they offer is very basic, just the names, dates, and maybe a few relevant details, such as the description of a car or possibly a suspect, if known. But for Graciella, Las Vegas Metro has her listed prominently at the top of their site as their featured cold case homicide with links to additional information, videos, and photos.

However, despite all of that, there have been no arrests for her murder and this October will mark five years since she was killed. Before we talk about that case, though, we want to mention another case of a missing person that's being investigated as a homicide, which isn't listed at all on the Metro Homicide Cold Case list, the case of the disappearance of Irma McCormacist. Merma McCurchin. Irma McCurchin was born in Armenia on June 12th, 1968, so she would be 57 years old today. She's a white female with blonde hair with brown or hazel eyes. 5 foot 5, 120 pounds. She can read and speak English, Armenian, and Russian fluently, and she has pierced ears and no tattoos or other distinguishing characteristics like that.

She has a brother named David, and she's the mother of two. and she was described as being a very dedicated mom. Her kids were both in college in 2014, and at the time she was living with her ex-husband in the 8,900 block of Coastal Walk Circle in Summerlin in the Lakes area. Those two divorced in 2009 after 16 years of marriage, and he claimed it was amicable.

She came to the United States after attending the University of Engineering of Armenian State, which is now called the National Polytechnic University of Armenia. where she got a master's in mechanical engineering in 1996. Here in the United States, she went to the Manhattan School of Computer Technology and eventually ended up here in Las Vegas, where she was working as an insurance agent at Farmer's Insurance, starting in 2012. Irma was last seen near Desert Inn Road and South Durango Drive on January 19, 2014.

One source states that she had just met with a client at the Alonza Apartments, Here's where it gets a little weird, though. On the day of her disappearance, there were conflicting text messages sent from her phone. One set of text messages was sent to her brother, DeVite, just before she disappeared. It read, My battery is dying. I'm going to California on business. I'll be back on Friday.

And she also wrote that she had left her vehicle at the Alonza apartment complex with the keys in the gas cap, and that she would return in a few days. DeVeed called her son, Arthur. because this was a huge red flag. She needed her phone for her job, so she'd never let that happen. Another set of text was sent from her phone to her boss, Michael Achille, at Farmer's Insurance. The text to him said, there's been an emergency with my husband's family. I'm heading to California for a funeral, and I'll be back on Friday.

And just a note here that there was no funeral. Her car was found at the Alonza Apartments, which was just less than a mile from where she and her ex-husband shared a home, with the keys in the gas tank cover. It was one of those locking gas tank cover things. Her ex and her son were interviewed and they told police that Irma had developed a drug problem and went to Mexico as a part of a religious awakening. In 2018, her son Arthur was interviewed by KTNV News and he told them, the only way to be close to God is to leave all your material belongings and ultimately commit suicide. At the time of her decision,

disappearance, police executed several search warrants on their home, and they seized $100,000 in cash, and apparently also had wired taps on the family. Shortly after that, her ex-husband sued Metro Police saying that their rights were violated, but that case was eventually dismissed. DeViet was also interviewed by the police, and he told the police that Irma had told him that she was finally ready to leave him, meaning her ex-husband, and she might move to New York. No one has been charged in the case since then, and it's still open and being investigated as a homicide. There's currently a $12,000 reward for any information about her whereabouts. You can call crime stoppers at 702-385-55-55 or call Metro's Cold Case Division at 702-828-8973

or email them at coldcase homicide at LvMPD.com. It's been 16 years and her family deserves closure on this. Graciella Gomez was a deeply beloved person, and it's almost impossible to overstate how much she was admired and respected by her family, friends, and her colleagues. Graciella Alicia Gomez was born on January 26, 1999, and she was a daughter, a sister, a niece, a cousin, and a friend. She lived in Las Vegas. She graduated from Las Vegas High School in 2017, and while she was there, she participated in the partnership at Las Vegas, or Pardis. Pau program in her high school, which is this career and technical program that teaches leadership skills, and all the students participate in an internship. They take classes four days a week, and then on the fifth day, they're actually out in the field working. One of her teachers

described her as being one of a kind. She was just such a lovely young woman. Everybody adored her. You couldn't find anyone that didn't like her. After high school, she joined the National Guard in September of 2018. So she clearly had to be a very young woman. She clearly had to be a lot of her. She clearly had a heart for serving her community. Her mother's name is Concepcion or Connie Velasquez Gomez, and we know that Graciella had many loved ones, including sisters and aunts, who were just devastated by her loss. At the time of her death, Graciella was a specialist with the Las Vegas based 17th Sustainment Brigade, Headquarters, Nevada Army National Guard. And as part of her work, she was responsible for coordinating military convoy operations and military support operations.

The National Guard is only a part-time commitment. So she was considering continuing to pursue a career either in the military or possibly in the field of education. And a key part of her National Guard duties was that she worked at Southern Nevada testing and vaccination sites during the heat of the pandemic as part of the pandemic task force. And her photo is actually featured on the U.S. military website showing her helping a patient to make a vaccine appointment. She was described as an exceptional soldier with a steadfast work ethic.

And Brigadier General Troy Armstrong of the Nevada National Guard said this about her. She placed her life on pause, put her uniform on every day, and stood shoulder to shoulder with our first responders, community health care providers, and local officials to support the battle against COVID-19. Her mother, Connie, said she was a good person, always trying to fly high, looking to be better. She had a great future ahead of her and a person who, in her 20, years had accomplished so many things. General Armstrong said she was enthusiastic, dependable, and committed. Her boyfriend, Yofed Catalan, described Graciela as very uplifting and caring

toward everyone, bright and kind, someone who was upstanding in her community, who had all her life ahead of her. One of her former teachers, Robert Bray, said, she was an enthusiastic student, a go-getter, who always came to class with a smile. We also know that she loved dogs. You can see her smiling, petting and hugging dogs and so many of the photos that have been shared. So it was very late at night on October 30th, 2021, or early morning on October 31, 2021 at 1232 a.m. that Metro received multiple 911 calls about shots fired at a Halloween party. This party was taking place in the northeast part of town near Sunrise Mountain, North Charleston, between Sloan and Fogg Streets. The exact address was 257 Beasley Drive,

which is near the Las Vegas Latter-day Saints Temple, the big one with the six spires. The house had been rented for the party, and it started out as just a regular Halloween get-together, but word spread on social media extremely quickly, and it got out of hand fast. Lieutenant Ray Spencer of Metro said that they were sharing the party's details with friends on social media. That invitation was shared with hundreds of different individuals, and as a result of it being shared so many times, the party quickly. began to get out of hand. And most of the people who attended were teenagers. Metro says that between 300 and 400 people showed up at the party, and some of the people that showed up were not supposed to be

there. And that led to some kind of altercation. One of the hosts of the party began patting down attendees for weapons when what's been described as five Hispanic males refused to be searched and they were denied entry to the party. That led to an argument, but eventually the group left. Shortly after, the suspects sped past the residence and fired several rounds striking three victims, all young women. Police said there wasn't really a specific target. They were just firing at the house and the party in general. The injuries to two women were not life-threatening, and they ended up driving themselves to UMC, but Graciella was shot in the abdomen. Despite attempts to perform CPR, she was brought to the hospital and later died. During the first three months of the investigation, Metro conducted dozens of interviews chasing down multiple leads.

But none of those leads led to any arrests or any concrete information as to who was responsible. And a long time passed, it wasn't until one year later that Metro conducted a press conference with Grasiel's mom, her boyfriend, Brigadier General Troy Armstrong. Metro Lieutenant Ray Spencer said that all of their leads had dried up. so they chose to release a low-quality video of the shooting that shows what looks like a four-door sedan, fire about eight shots at the house as it speeds away. The quality is very poor, and you can't tell what color the car is. But as Lieutenant Ray Spencer said, someone out there knows who is responsible for her death. I urge anybody that was at that party that has not talked with an investigator to please reach out to homicide so we can talk with you because you may have that little piece of the puzzle that solves this murder.

Metro has said that there were additional people in the front of the house when it happened, that there were people who fled from the party before the police even arrived. It was a costume party, so it may have been difficult for people to be identified or recognized. Also, people were drinking, obviously. Her family and friends have been pleading with the community to help. Connie has asked, Help us find the people who did this to my daughter. Her boyfriend Yofed has stated,

Everyone on the East Side knows each other. There has to be someone that saw something or knows something. If these people are afraid to come out, for whatever reason, there are anonymous hotlines. We want to read a post that Troy Armstrong made on Facebook regarding Graciello. He wrote, Specialist Gomez, a graduate of Las Vegas High, an active member in the community, was an exceptional soldier with a positive attitude and steadfast work ethic. Additionally, it's worth noting that she most recently answered the call and displayed great

dedication and extraordinary service to her community over the course of the past year while working on the COVID-19 task force in Las Vegas, helping our state get through the pandemic. He called her a rising star who was well liked. Homicide Detective Larry Samples has said, this is only a cold case by policy or definition, but it's not a cold case to me. I work it constantly. If someone calls in something or we get any kind of tip, I drop what I'm doing. and I'll work it day, night, weekends, it doesn't matter.

Services for Graciella were held on November 6, 2021 in Las Vegas, and it included a procession with military honors at the Crossing Church, and she was laid to rest at Davis funeral home. There is a $2,000 reward from crime stoppers. Anyone with any information is urged to call LVMPD's Homicide Division at 702, 828-3521 or email homicide at LvMPD.com. And as always, you can remain anonymous by calling crime stoppers at 702-385-55-55. We've covered other Halloween murders, including the murder of Samari Norris Johnson,

who was killed on Halloween night in 2003 at the intersection of Shadow Oak and spotted pony drives around 9.45 p.m. A teenager in that case was arrested for that crime but as we've covered before, he wasn't charged with Samari's murder, but with a weapons charge. Samari was a beloved football player at Desert Pines High School. And you can hear the story at sinspa.co slash samari. Graciel's murder is also very similar to the murder of Camara McGinnies, which happened in 2025. Camar was only 19 years old, and she was shot and killed at a Halloween party on October 24, 2025, leaving an infant son behind.

And now six months later, there hasn't been any word of any arrest in her case either. Camora was known to be a fun, loving person, and her mother called her the life of the party. She would have turned 20 years old on November 26. And according to a friend who was also at the party, what happened was a group of men in ski masks showed up and started shooting, and one of those bullets hit Camorra. The suspects took off before police officers arrived. Her family said that what happened was just the result of her being at the wrong place at the wrong time. That party was near West Craig Road and Clayton Street, specifically the 4,500 block of Anspat

Street near West Craig Road. Her mother, Darnisha, has said, I do feel like she's not cared about at all. And her family is urging if you were at the party and you kind of know something, you recorded something, you can call the police anonymously. When her mother was asked how she's going to raise Camara's son without her, she said, We're going to tell him how amazing a mother she was, how she loved him to death. He brought light to her world. He was her pride and joy.

She was a great mother. We're going to make sure he remembers her and knows who she was and that she loved him beyond words. This case is being investigated by the North Las Vegas Police Department. You can contact North Las Vegas PD at 702-633911. or of course you can contact crime stoppers. Her family has a go-fund me, helping to raise money for the costs associated with now her mother having to raise her son.

And we will share that link as well. The stories of these young people being senselessly killed by gun violence stay with us and we're asking you to share their stories this week in the hopes their families find answers and the people responsible are brought to justice. We created a short link to the crime stoppers tip form at Sinspod.co slash crime stoppers tips.

And we urge anyone with any information to come forward. Even if you think the police already know what you're going to tell them, please come forward. Thank you as always for listening and remember what happens here, happens everywhere. Thanks for listening. Visit Sinspod.com slash subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Facebook, 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 Sins and Survivors.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, Sins and Survivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is researched 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, sins and survivors.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.