Woman who killed beau in YouTube stunt gets 180 days in jail

ADA, Minn. – A Minnesota woman has been sentenced to 180 days in jail for fatally shooting her boyfriend in a stunt they recorded on video and planned to post on YouTube.

A judge in Norman County on Wednesday also banned Monalisa Perez from ever owning a gun again and prohibited her from profiting from the story of the fatal shooting last June at their home in Halstad.

For the stunt, 22-year-old Pedro Ruiz held a hardcover encyclopedia against his chest and Perez, standing about a foot away, fired a pistol to see if the bullet would go through the book. Ruiz died as a result of the gunshot.

The Star Tribune reports Perez earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in an agreement with prosecutors. Norman County Attorney James Brue says Perez tragically relied on Ruiz’s assurances before pulling the trigger.