A fight between two families erupted in the lobby of a Las Vegas courtroom the day after Christmas and continued outside the building during an arraignment for a murder suspect.
Markeem Benson, 29, is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, Renise “NeNe” Wolfe, 33, a skilled tattoo artist, on December 22, following an argument the couple had at a family holiday party. He was charged with Open Murder and Possession of a Firearm as a felon, according to court records, and was on probation at the time of his arrest.
Emotions boiled over at the North Las Vegas Justice Court on Dec. 26, which was packed with supporters and family members from both sides. After the felony hearing had wrapped up, chaos broke out.
Wolfe’s father, a retired Las Vegas Metro Police Department officer, charged at the brother of the accused in the lobby of the courthouse.
Local news network, 8 News Now caught the grieving father on camera being led away from the scene in handcuffs by a court marshal. It was later revealed he was escorted to his car, and no charges were filed against him. The family of Renise Wolfe said Benson’s brother had been antagonizing them and taunting them in court, reported the outlet.
A second argument then broke out between the two factions in front of the courthouse, but the altercation did not turn physical.
The couple, who began dating in July, attended a family holiday party together on Dec. 21, and everything seemed normal until a female acquaintance of Benson’s showed up, sparking an argument, said family members.
After leaving the party, the couple went to an apartment in North Las Vegas, where a deadly domestic dispute broke out.
Benson’s father told detectives that his son called him the next morning and said, “Something to the effect of ‘she’ came at him with a gun, there was some kind of ‘tussle,’ and then the gun went off,” per an arrest report obtained by KSNV News 3. Benson also called his brother and told him he “did something bad,” according to police.
While Benson claimed self-defense, Wolfe’s mom alleged it was an execution-style murder.
“He shot her while she was laying on the ground, in a fetal position, behind the ear; what does that tell you?” she told 8 News Now in tears. Autopsy results showed Wolfe had been shot four times in the back of the head, and detectives noted the angle indicated Benson was aiming down, the outlet reported.
“This means Markeem would have been standing over the top of Renise as he fired that round,” the arrest report stated.
Las Vegas police received a 911 call from Benson’s father around 10:16 a.m. on Dec. 22, saying his son wanted to turn himself in. He was arrested outside of a local restaurant and directed police to the apartment where his slain girlfriend was.
Surveillance video obtained by authorities recorded several pops around 1:20 a.m., but Markeem waited nine hours to notify anyone because he said he had fallen asleep.
During the explosive hearing, Benson was denied bail and is expected back in court on Jan. 30. Wolfe’s family had previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal they plan to attend all of the hearings, with sister Ashely Tuttle saying. “We’ll be here every single time.”
