Left inset: Kennedi Oriti (Affordable Cremation and Burial Service/Carrissa McCarthy). Right inset: Maurice Vanderhall (Henderson Police Department). Background: The Nevada apartment complex where Kennedi Oriti was stabbed 20 times and killed by her boyfriend Maurice Vanderhall while moving out of the condo they lived in together (KSNV).
In a chilling confession to police, a Nevada resident admitted to the brutal murder of his girlfriend, stating, “I killed my girlfriend.” The tragic incident occurred as she was preparing to move out of their shared condominium.
The victim, 26-year-old Kennedi Oriti, had returned to the Clark County home she shared with 28-year-old Maurice Vanderhall for a final time. Her intention was to ensure she had collected all her belongings and to say her goodbyes. However, as detailed in an arrest report obtained by local CBS affiliate KLAS, Vanderhall launched a vicious attack, stabbing her repeatedly in the face and neck.
Subsequent court records, as seen by Law&Crime, confirmed that Vanderhall later confessed to the killing and, on March 17, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
The horrific events unfolded on December 2, 2025, when Henderson Police responded to a distress call at around 6:30 p.m. They arrived at the apartment complex on the 200 block of West Horizon Ridge Parkway, roughly 17 miles southwest of Las Vegas. There, they found Oriti with numerous stab wounds and Vanderhall drenched in blood, according to the arrest documentation.
A family friend, who was assisting Oriti with the move, recounted to police that she had gone back into the apartment to bid farewell to Vanderhall and ensure nothing was left behind. When she failed to return promptly, the friend attempted to contact her multiple times, but received no response.
Following the attack, Vanderhall inflicted injuries upon himself, stabbing his forearm and knee in an apparent suicide attempt. He also reportedly attempted to hang himself in a closet. Inside the condo, investigators found three bloodied knives, including a butcher knife, as evidence of the gruesome scene.
Oriti was murdered just five days before her 27th birthday.
“I have so many beautiful memories with Kennedi and my heart breaks knowing she is gone,” a friend posted on Oriti’s online obituary page, while sharing photos of them together on a group trip to Las Vegas at the end of October. “I watched her grow so much. I was and am so proud of her,” the friend said.
Vanderhall is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6.
