Allysandra Blea, 21, was sentenced Tuesday to five years to life in prison for the shooting death of her friend, Mark Gaughan, 23. Blea pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter in June.
Gaughan was fatally shot in the neck by Blea around 5 a.m. on Aug. 23, 2025, near his home. The incident occurred after the pair had spent hours drinking vodka and smoking marijuana at the home of a mutual friend. Blea, who was 20 at the time, told investigators she believed the gun was unloaded and that the shooting was accidental. Police arrested Blea three days later on charges of open murder with a deadly weapon.
During an investigation, police discovered Blea's phone contained numerous messages and images indicating a significant interest in firearms. Investigators described her communications as showing a “fascination with firearms,” including references to building an arsenal and posing with weapons. One message allegedly read, “I wish I could shoot people with real guns and get away with it,” and another stated, “I would kill prostitutes and bury them in the New Mexico desert.” Blea later claimed these statements were a joke.
Detectives learned during questioning that Blea’s grandfather, Joseph Blea, has been identified as a person of interest in the disappearances of prostitutes in New Mexico and has a prior conviction for sexual assault. He is currently serving a 36-year prison sentence imposed in 2015 for a 1988 rape conviction.
At the sentencing, Gaughan’s mother, Caroline Gaughan, expressed her grief and anger, stating, “She will continue to live her life after sentencing, but me, I will live with a life sentence of grief, of trauma, of depression, stress, anxiety, brokenness, a nightmare I can’t escape until the day I die.”
Judge Jacqueline Bluth acknowledged the victim’s mother’s pain but upheld the plea agreement, citing the risks of proceeding to trial. Blea was also ordered to pay $16,085.81 in restitution for Gaughan’s funeral expenses. She will serve her sentence at the Nevada Department of Corrections.