Mother of teen who joked on video about murdering father days before arrest is former state senator
Elizabeth Helgelien, formely Halseth, was elected to Nevada legislature in 2010
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A Las Vegas teenager charged in the killing of her father and seen giggling about “murdering somebody” in the days following his death is the daughter of a former Nevada state senator, reports have said.
Sierra Halseth, 16, has been charged alongside her boyfriend Aaron Guerrero, 18, in the murder of 45-year-old Daniel Halseth.
Footage of the two teenagers used as evidence in the murder case by prosecutors obtained by KLAS apparently showed the pair giggling about “murdering somebody”.
“Welcome back to our YouTube channel… Day 3 after murdering somebody …,” Mr Guerrero apparently says in the phone footage.
“Whoa! Don’t put that on camera,” Ms Halseth says. “It was worth it,” Mr Guerrero responds before kissing his girlfriend on the forehead.
The Las Vegas Review Journal and other media outlets have identified Ms Halseth as the daughter of Elizabeth Halseth, now Elizabeth Helgelien, a former Republican member of the Nevada Senate.
Ms Helgelien was elected in 2010 and served on the state’s Senate until 2012, being the youngest female to be elected to the Nevada Legislature as a State Senator at 27.
The former lawmaker is reported to have been divorced from Mr Halseth in 2012 and resigned from her elected role in the same year, citing the demands of being a single mother, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
The paper reported that Mr Halseth was arrested in 2011 on suspicion of "open and gross lewdness" against her. At that point, the couple had been married for 11 years and had three children together.
The former senator is yet to comment publicly on her daughter’s arrest. The Independent has contacted Ms Helgelien for comment.
Prosecutors allege Mr Halseth had been stabbed and that the killers attempted to set fire to and dismember his body, the Review Journal reported.
Court documents reportedly show that the teenagers had been forbidden from seeing each other by their parents and planned to run away to Los Angeles.
After an arrest warrant was issued for their arrest, the pair were reportedly found and apprehended in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
Alongside murder charges, the teenagers also face charges of conspiracy, arson, robbery, and fraudulent use of a credit card and are being held without bail.
Legal representatives for both defendants have yet to comment on the allegations.
Prosecutors are considering whether to seek the death penalty against Mr Guerrero, The Journal reported.
Ms Halseth cannot face a death penalty charge due to her age but is being charged as an adult alongside Mr Guerrero.