LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The man who pleaded guilty to the murder and sexual assault of a UNLV student in 2019 has been sentenced to life in prison.
Giovanni Ruiz appeared in court Thursday to receive his sentence for the killing of 19-year-old Paula Davis.
Judge Tierra Jones called the case a “very, very tragic situation” and noted that the years-long legal process had likely been an emotional strain on Davis’ family.
“I really hope that today offers you some closure,” Jones told the family. “But I wish today was the end of this tragedy, the end of your suffering, but unfortunately it is not.”
Davis was found shot to death in a North Las Vegas park in September 2019. Police believed Davis had been killed elsewhere before her body was left in the park.
RELATED TOPICS | Friends remember UNLV student found shot to death in park: ‘She inspired me’
In a police report, investigators wrote that they found a gun in Ruiz’s home with a receipt dated two days before Davis’ killing.
Davis’ family said she had broken up with Ruiz after dating for 10 months, describing him as possessive and jealous.
Prosecutors have sought the death penalty if the jury finds Ruiz guilty at trial.He finally agreed on a deal with the prosecutor this June, just two weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin.
Davis’ family members delivered emotional victim impact statements Thursday before Ruiz’s sentencing. Paula’s sister Rachel said they do everything together. She described Paula as a kind, loving person who always looked out for others.
“I know there are a lot of people who miss her very much,” Rachel Davis said. “I’m just so blessed that I was one of the people who got to spend so much time with her, and I just wish that all the other people who would have known her could have experienced that blessing as well.”
Ruiz, now 26, apologized to Davis’ family and said he would take responsibility for his actions.
“Every day I am torn between two opposing sides,” Ruiz said in his statement. “On the one hand, the desire to suffer endlessly and punish myself for what I have done. On the other hand, the desire to be strong and find a way to continue living with this enormous burden for the good of my family.”
Ruiz is eligible for parole after 42 years in prison.
