A 50-year-old man spent the early morning of New Year’s Eve at a Scottsdale area casino where he agreed to pay a woman $250 for sex.

Hours before 2019 began, he was shot and killed near an east Phoenix hotel he was reportedly taking the woman to.

Now mid-February, a suspect in his death is in custody.

Phoenix police report Trevon Emanuel Perry-Vandaveer, 27, was booked into jail Monday on one count each of first-degree murder and armed robbery.

He is suspected of shooting death of Somsack Vongprachanh Dec. 31 near 48th Street and Broadway Road.

Phoenix police responded to the area of the above intersection around 6:30 a.m. and found an unresponsive male subject. Tempe fire officials pronounced the person, Mr. Vongprachanh, dead around 6:40 a.m. that day.

According to documents released Tuesday morning, he had obvious signs of trauma and a gunshot wound to his upper right chest.

Witnesses told police a blue sedan was traveling in the area when a loud pop was heard. The vehicle slowed down, the front passenger door opened, and Mr. Vongprachanh jumped out while it was moving. He then ran while holding his stomach and stopped in an area of bushes.

In his possession were tickets from Talking Stick Casino & Resort dated 3:26 a.m. and 4:24 a.m. Dec. 31. Police went to the facility and viewed surveillance footage. Police saw him meeting up with a woman and a man. Mr. Vongprachanh then left in his vehicle with the woman after handing her an unidentified item.

Persons of interest

Police matched the vehicle to the one traveling through 48th Street and Broadway Road. A suspect, Mr. Vandaveer, was identified via tattoos and physical features compared between surveillance video and law enforcement databases.

A court order was issued for his arrest, as well as a woman only identified as Amanda for hindering a police investigation after misleading investigators about her involvement, records state. It is unknown if she was formally arrested.

Both were detained in Mesa Monday afternoon and taken to Phoenix police headquarters.

Mr. Vandaveer admitted to meeting Mr. Vongprachanh at Talking Stick.

“During the early morning, Amanda and Somsack had (made) a prostitution deal where Amanda agreed to have sex with Somsack for 250 dollars,” a probable cause statement reads. They then left for a hotel at 48th Street and Broadway Road.

Apparently Mr. Vandaveer had arrived at before they did. He was later told by Amanda that Mr. Vongprachanh was not giving her any money. The three then met in the hotel parking lot. The two men left in Mr. Vongprachanh’s vehicle while Amanda stayed behind.

During the ride, Mr. Vandaveer asked for the money, pulled out a handgun and struck Mr. Vongprachanh in the face. The two reportedly fought over the gun when it discharged and struck Mr. Vongprachanh. Mr. Vandaveer then pulled Mr. Vongprachanh from the passenger side door after the vehicle had stopped. He re-entered the vehicle and fled before ditching it in a Phoenix neighborhood.

Mr. Vandaveer told police he obtained the firearm from a friend who was staying at the hotel.

He was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail in lieu of a $500,000 cash-only bond. His next court appearances are Feb. 19 and 22.