- Sierra Halseth, 16, and Aaron Guerrero, 18, have been charged with killing Halseth's father, Daniel.
- Halseth's mother is Elizabeth Halseth, a former Republican state senator in
Nevada . - Daniel Halseth was found stabbed to death and burned on April 9.
Sierra Halseth, the 16-year-old charged with murder in the death of her father, is the daughter of a former Nevada state senator.
Elizabeth Halseth, the girl's mother, served as a Republican in the Nevada Senate from 2010 to 2012. She was divorced from Daniel Halseth, whose body was discovered by authorities on April 9. Sierra Halseth's 18-year-old boyfriend, Aaron Guerrero, has also been charged with his murder.
Elizabeth Halseth became the youngest woman ever elected to the Nevada Legislature in 2010 at age 27, in what was considered a surprise win. In February 2012, after about a year in office, she resigned, citing difficulties balancing her legislative duties with being a single mother and seeking another job.
"I must focus my efforts completely as a mother and job seeker," she wrote in a letter to the governor, the Las Vegas Sun reported at the time. "I simply cannot provide the level of service to the residents of District 9 they are entitled to."
Elizabeth Halseth has not yet spoken publicly about her daughter's case.
Authorities say that Sierra Halseth and Guerrero conspired to kill her father after he said they needed to stop seeing each other. The two were arrested in Salt Lake City shortly after Daniel Halseth was found dead. The police said that he was stabbed to death and that his home had been burned in an attempt to cover up the killing.
Video emerged this week of the two laughing and joking about "murdering somebody" days after his death. In the video, Guerrero said: "Welcome back to our YouTube channel. Day three after murdering somebody."
Evidence in the case obtained by KLAS 8 News Now included surveillance footage that showed the teens buying bleach, a saw, lighter fluid, gloves, and more in the days leading up to the killing.
Sierra Halseth is being charged as an adult despite her age, though she cannot face the death penalty, which is being considered for Guerrero.