What haunts me most after the fact, aside from envisioning the carnage, is the thought that I was leaving chatty phone messages on a dead man’s cell phone for over a week.
“Hey, Brian, it’s Rodger. Well, judging from the fact that Paul’s voice mail box is full and your phone automatically rolls over to voice mail, I can only assume that you guys are up in Nor Cal making a pick-up. So, yeah, give me a call when you’re back in town. You have my number. Stay cool, dude. Talk to you later.”
On Friday, June 26, I discovered through the Las Vegas Sun that my friends Paul Stephens and Brian Hudson had been murdered “execution-style” in their apartment at Flamingo and Decatur. Formal charges against the 23-year-old shooter and his two accomplices will be heard in court on Monday.
Friday was a tough day, absorbing the reality of the events, poring over the frightening details in the Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, piecing together the loose ends, mourning the loss, keeping my own anger from spinning off its axis.
At 5:00 PM I pretended to be a normal human being and walked down Desert Inn Road to fetch some nourishment from the Subway sandwich shop. Images of bullets shattering Paul and Brian’s face and skull followed me like fleas chasing a mangy dog. The horror must have been resting on my face when I ordered the sandwich because the preparer — a plump, bespectacled, 40-something woman — glanced at me momentarily, returned to her handiwork, and then looked up once more, this time staring intently and with great concern into my face.
“Are you okay?” she inquired, a question born of genuine concern.
I pried my eyes away from the floor, forced a smile, and indulged her in a common default dialogue in Las Vegas: the weather. As she began dressing my sandwich, the manager appeared from the back office and asked her if anyone had turned in a lost cell phone.
“I don’t know,” she replied with a distracted frown. “You have to ask Brian.”
It took hours for me to psych my agitated stomach into accepting the cold cut combo, tossing the damn thing into the fridge when I got home. Once eaten, it took less than ten minutes for my digestive system to reject the bread and lettuce and tomatoes and meat, mustard and black olives, salt and pepper and oil and vinegar. Bitter, everything tasted bitter.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Let it roll!” he screamed. “Just as high as the fucker can go! and when it comes to that fantastic bit where the rabbit bites its own head off, I want you to throw that fuckin’ radio into the tub with me.”
Hunter S. Thompson
Filed under: Breakdown on Paradise Road | Tagged: Brian Hudson, Las Vegas crime, Paul Stephens
This is not the type of incident after which you say, “Sorry for your loss.” This is the type of incident after which you say, “My liberal view on the barbarism of the death penalty might be evolving.”
The whole scene has a sick Pulp Fiction pallor, in which the henchman undoubtedly fashioned himself an unstoppable Samuel Jackson but without even as much balance and intellectual acumen as a fictional cold-blooded superbad killer. He had to take a bathroom break because something in him almost brought him into humanity for a minute, instead of feeling like the dirty piece of trash he knew he truly indeed was and now will ever remain as he waits for years and years and years to hurry up and die.
Five more wasted lives in Vegas.
Paul was one of my best friends too. I didnt know brian hudson. I remember going to Vegas in January to DJ and I stopped by their apt. I never knew something like this would happen. Even the funeral was sort of a dream. Our friend is gone. I understand everyones pain becuae im STILL going through it. Me and paul will always share a common spiritual place, and one thing that I can look forward to when it is my time to pass will be when I can speak with him again. The hardest times wont be right now, but in years when I was expecting to be able to share everything with him.
Paul. you were my brother and you always will be
Morgan
When was the funeral, Morgan? We only learned about the deaths last week. It sounds like you and Paul were very close so I can imagine the grief you’re experiencing. Keep in touch because I will be following the case closely through the various media outlets and the Metro PD.
The funeral was 6/12. I will keep anyone posted if we have an update
I found (and signed) the guest book at the Reno Gazzette a few nights ago, Morgan.
Agreed on all points, Joseph, maximally. The bathroom break to gather up his courage is indeed one of the more despicable plot points in this tragic tale. Nevada, incidentally, does not impose the death penalty.
Rodger,
Sorry for the death of your two friends. I myself lost a VERY good friend of mine to a traffic accident in Tucson AZ 10 months ago. He drove a truck for Old Dominion trucking Co. and he and his driving partner crashed on I-10 just outside of Tucson when a SUV being illegally towed with just a chain broke loose from the vehicle towing it in front of them, forcing them off the road. The Truck was incinerated upon crashing with both men inside breing incinerated with it.
I am 46 years old and fortunately have not had to deal with a lot of death in my circle of family and friends other than my grandparents and an occaisional school buddy who I had not seen in years but this one really did hit me hard.
Hang in there.
Ken
That’s simply horrible, Ken. I’m sorry. I would certainly hope the driver towing the SUV was charged with some sort of felony mayhem.
This is just freaky for me that i knew Brian at work. He always tells me his trip plans for the month, his macbook, and his college. Now he’s gone. i can’t imagine how his parents feel.
Techie, you must’ve known Brian when he worked at McCarran or had he picked up another job recently? And, yes, one of the first things my girlfriend (who also knew Brian) uttered through her tears was absolute pain for his and Paul’s family. I understand there’s stll a makeshift memorial of candles and flowers outside the front door of the apartment at Flamingo and Decatur.
[...] Unfortunately, death did not stop with my grandmother this week. I hopped on over to Rodger’s website, and learned of a terrible event that happened earlier this month, but just came to light recently. Two good friends of his were murdered in their apartment… shot execution style. I’ll let Rodger pick up the rest of the story here and here. [...]
Rodger where do i begin this tale of how i experienced this event. I lived in the complex with paul and brian. Paul was one of my best friends. Paul got me to move over to Polo Club. I miss him so much. i had not heard from paul or brian since that friday when b said he was going to get paul from the airport. the weekend went by. i went to thier unit to see him and to bs about san fran. no answer and lights on 11 at night. bad feeling. i text hey you guys alive on the way home at 4:07 monday. i got home, metro and ambulances were there back by his unit.
my wife and i started the doorstep memorial. the first few days, no one else seemed to be going up there, then saturday someone else put stuff out. i feel guilty that i did not open the door that night. i may have been able to save them, who knows. maybe i wasnt suppossed to find him. i have the same images that you mentioned but even more detailed in my mind. i used to go up to his spot like every other day. i can picture exactly where and how it all went down just by how long we’ve hung out. it tears me up everyday that i was so close and couldn’t do anything to help my brother. the arraignment is in august. i google ralph jeremias las vegas every day several times a day to see new info….but none. contact me if you want to talk.
Hey man, this is so sad. I didn’t know Paul but I knew Brian pretty well. My roommate and him were best friends and he was always at our house. I can’t believe that someone would want to harm these guys, Brian wouldn’t kill a fly. It makes you wonder what is going through someone’s head that they actually could kill another human being and know how much hurt they will cause.
One thing is clearly certain: Brian and Paul had no shortage of friends who have been strongly impacted by this tragedy. Thanks for commenting, A.
paul and b would have given these cowards whatever they want to take. there was no need to take them from us, especially not like they way this animal did. punk a$$ wanna be gangsters. and going in the bathroom to “prepare” is sickening. i actually think these guys tried to do it to someone else that is a mutual friend of mine, paul’s and brian’s a few days later. all they did was jack him for computer dj equipment and some other things. but a gun was brandished and put to his head. luckily someone else there and got them to take stuff, not his life. 3 guys mexican smokin’ and then all of a sudden things get crazy. i wonder.
my wife and i started the doorstep memorial
Bless you both.
i may have been able to save them, who knows
No sense thinking that way, John. I’m sure they went very quickly.
paul and b would have given these cowards whatever they want to take
My girlfriend and I said the same thing.
Thank you so much for updating us on the arraignment. I will indeed drop you an e-mail.
I knew them both as well and I live a block away. Unfortunately, I wasn’t friends with any of their friends and i just found out now (the second week of july) I too had been leaving messages for brian ’cause paul’s box was full. john i believe i’ve met you and your wife and thank you for remembering them properly.
please if anyone hears anything about the case post it here so everyone can see it.
schwaleon hey is this leon by any chance.
I doubt there will be anything new to report until early August but anyone is free to offer comments here anytime they like.
i will keep updates as i get them, but as of yet nothing new
Thank you, John.
hey some dipshit martinbrimmer left a comment with your in on one of the articles
Thank you for the tip, John; that’s apparently one of my cyber trolls using a former professional pseudonym of mine. Just ignore the asshole.
hey i talked to a friend of mine and pauls…actually the dude that introduced me to p. the arraignment is Aug 11th at like 10.
Thanks, John.
Any updates?
No, Morgan, no news. I think this story is really being looked over by the local media, which is a damn tragedy.