A SHOWGIRL died in her friend's arms after she and seven others were attacked by a knife-wielding suspect on the Las Vegas Strip, her boss says.

Maris Digiovanni, who worked for the Best Showgirls in Vegas, was one of two people who died in Thursday's rampage in Las Vegas.

Digiovanni's boss Cheryl Lowthorp told the New York Post that the woman died while another showgirl attempted first aid.

“It just happened so fast; he stabbed Maris in the heart,” Lowthorp told the outlet.

Lowthorp said that one of the showgirls was able to escape while another, Anna, went to help Digiovanni.

“She already knew Maris was gone because she passed away in her arms,” Lowthorp said.

While Anna was helping Digiovanni, she was stabbed in the back by suspect Yoni Barrios, leaving her with a punctured lung, Lowthorp said.

Lowthorp has set up a GoFundMe to benefit her affected employees.

The fundraiser has already received thousands of dollars in donations.

Lowthorp told the Post that Digiovanni was an “exceptional young woman," adding that she had traveled around the world and served as an English teacher in Hong Kong.

Most read in The Sun

Digiovanni was also reportedly working as a teacher at 9th Bridge School in Las Vegas.

“She was always looking out for the girls,” Lowthorp said.

Digiovanni's older brother Gage shared a tribute as the family tries to come to terms with their loss.

"It is with great sadness that we say goodbye and see you later to my amazing little sister," Gage wrote on Facebook.

"Maris was a victim of the horrific random stabbing of eight people in Las Vegas today.

"Please pray for our family and her husband. We appreciate the space to grieve in the coming days and know she touched your lives as she did ours."

In 12 years, Lowthorp said that she has never seen an incident like this.

“For 12 years, we have been without any arrests and no one has been hurt,” she said, adding that the suspect “did not just take Maris’ beautiful life. This has shattered all of us.”

POSSIBLE MOTIVE REVEALED

Barrios, 32, made an initial court appearance after the violent stabbings a day earlier near the Wynn and Resorts World casinos in Las Vegas.

The suspect is set to face two counts of murder with a deadly weapon and six counts of attempted murder after 47-year-old Brent Allan Hallett and Digiovanni were killed.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson announced the charges and said that they are considering seeking the death penalty.

“We are going to give it serious consideration. But it’s so early on,” Wolfson said after Barrios’ initial court appearance.

Barrios was seen in a dark blue jumpsuit and orange hand restraints as a judge ordered he be held without bail. An arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday.

New information has been revealed about Barrios' possible motive.

While on the Las Vegas Strip outside of the casinos, Barrios supposedly already had the kitchen knife in his hand and asked for a photo with some of the showgirls outside.

The suspect told a woman that he was a chef and wanted to take a picture with some of the showgirls with his knife, the Associated Press reported.

He allegedly started stabbing victims when the group declined his request.

Dewaun Turner, 47, witnessed the gruesome event and told the Las Vegas Review Journal that he saw two of the showgirls running and screaming.

Turner said that he saw five of the victims being attacked.

Police have said that the initial stabbing on the sidewalk was unprovoked with no altercation beforehand.

Barrios is reportedly a Guatemalan national in the US illegally with a criminal record in California, Fox News reported while citing a source with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

'IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYBODY'

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the media in a news conference that Las Vegas tourists were among the victims injured in the attack.

Although the attack is said to be an isolated incident, residents in the area are still worried.

"Honestly, I’m very shaken up – all of the girls are. It’s scary because it can happen to anybody," Bobi Jo Milstead, the owner of Stardust Starlets nearby, told KSNV.

Multiple casinos in the area shut down their entrances in the aftermath of the stabbings.

Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief James LaRochelle noted the devastation felt by the community after the horror attack.

"This is clearly very tragic and hard to understand, hard to comprehend murder investigation that deeply impacts our community," he said.

"We wanted to extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the victims themselves."

Source: Read Full Article