Teenager Facing Up to 27 Years in Prison For Luxor Murder

A teenage woman is facing between 11 and 27 years in prison. She is charged with murder from an incident at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The sentencing came down on Monday from Clark County Judge Jacqueline Bluth. 

More Details On the Story

The teenager charged is Emma Kusak. Now 19, Kusak was sentenced for murder in a Luxor hotel room on June 29, 2023. The person she killed was Charlie Satrustegui, 36, of Glendale, California. It’s been reported that Kusak shot him twice in the head while they were in the hotel room, and she’s been ordered to pay $15k to the victim’s family. 

Kusak can apply for parole after serving nine years and receive credit for time served. 

Over the summer, Kusak ultimately pled guilty to second-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. This was a plea agreement. She was initially charged with open murder, robbery, and grand larceny. 

After shooting Satrustegui, she stole his wallet, cell phones, keys, and his car, said police. 

Hours after shooting him, Kusak reported the incident to police, and they discovered his dead body in the hotel room. 

She was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on July 26, 2023, her 18th birthday. 

Assailant Claims Self-Defense

After she was arrested, Kusak claimed the shooting wasn’t on purpose and that she thought Satrustegui was going to attack her. She said that to defend herself, she picked up his gun from a table and shot him. 

She told the police she “didn’t mean to do it.” 

Both Kusak and Satrustegui had been drinking, and each consumed about eight vodka shots the night before. They went to sleep at around 1 AM before Satrustegui woke up about two hours later to tell Kusak she was coughing a bunch. 

From there, she went into the bathroom and cried, and when she returned to bed, they argued. 

Satrustegui asked Kusak to leave. 

The two met on Bumble two months before the incident and texted each other to meet at the Luxor, where Satrustegui booked a room. 

“Emma said she didn’t mean to shoot him and didn’t want to shoot him, but she had nowhere to go and didn’t want to go back to jail. Emma said she impulsively shot Charlie,” read an LVMPD arrest report.

Other Casino-Related News

With the news of this sentencing, let’s touch on some other crime-related news involving casinos that have recently happened: 

• Chiefsaholic: Xavier Michael Badubar, also known as Chiefsaholic, a hardcore Kansas City Chiefs fan, was sentenced for bank robbery and money laundering proceeds through casinos. 
• $1.8M Trust Fund Theft: A Florida attorney allegedly stole $1.8 million from a client’s trust fund to fund his gambling addiction. 
• Stolen Alabama Gaming Machines: Police have arrested an individual involved with the theft of an Alabama gaming machine that was recently recovered at another gaming hall 80 miles from where it was initially stolen.