Woman who shot her boyfriend in video stunt tried to stop it happening

Woman who shot her boyfriend in video stunt tried to stop it happening Pedro Ruiz III, known as "the crazy Pedro" urged his girlfriend to shoot a hardcover book he was holding to his chest.

Image: Monalisa Perez shot her boyfriend Pedro Ruiz III Pic: Youtube

A woman who shot her boyfriend dead for a filmed stunt tried to dissuade him from the plan, a court has heard.

A transcript released by the court shows that Monalisa Perez attempted to convince her boyfriend to not go through with the filming.

Pedro Ruiz III, who called himself "the crazy Pedro", said in the video he wanted to see if a .50-calibre bullet a can go through a hardcover book.

Mr Ruiz, 22, showed off the .50-caliber Desert Eagle handgun, which has been described as "one of the world's most powerful semi-automatic handguns", before asking his then-pregnant girlfriend to fire at him.

The video, which was to be posted to YouTube, showed him holding a hardcover encyclopedia against his chest at their home in Halstad, Minnesota..


"The most trustworthy person that I trust in this world is my girlfriend, Monalisa," Mr Ruiz said in the video "So if I die, I'm pretty much ready to go to heaven right now."

According to the transcript, Ms Perez pleaded with her boyfriend "I can't do it, babe. I'm so scared."

Mr Ruiz told her, "As long as you hit the book, you'll be fine. Come on."

"Babe, I'm not doing this, I can't," Ms Perez said.

"Come on," Mr Ruiz replied.

"Babe, if I kill you what's gonna happen to my life. Like no this isn't OK," she said. "I don't want to be responsible."

The bullet went through the book and killed Mr Ruiz.

According to local media, 30 people - including the couple's young daughter - witnessed the shooting.

A few hours before the ill-fated video, Perez had written on social media that the stunt was "one of the most dangerous videos ever" and was Mr Ruiz's idea, not hers.

Ms Perez, 20, of Redfield, South Dakota, was sentenced earlier this year to 180 days in jail for second-degree manslaughter, 90 of which will be spent in prison.

Ms Perez has since given birth to their second child.

Video of the shooting and aftermath were not released by Norman County Attorney James Brue, who called those portions "clearly offensive to common sensibilities."