Pedro Ruiz, 22, was shot and killed by his girlfriend Monalisa Perez, 19, during a YouTube stunt gone wrong.
The duo, who had a following of around 2100 subscribers, were filming a video in which Perez fired a gun through a book that Ruiz was holding in front of his chest.
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According to a criminal complaint provided to Buzzfeed, Ruiz had convinced Perez to shoot him by providing her with another book that had stopped the bullet.
Perez now faces a charge of second-degree manslaughter, which could see her serving a maximum of ten years in jail. She is currently released on bail.
Perez had taken to Twitter before the incident to iterate that it was not her idea.
Me and Pedro are probably going to shoot one of the most dangerous videos ever
HIS idea not MINE — Monalisa Perez (@MonalisaPerez5) June 26, 2017
The couple’s vlog was intended to show its audience “the real life of a young couple who happen to be teen parents.” The couple have a 3-year-old daughter, and Perez is expecting another baby in September.
According to Ruiz’s aunt, the couple wanted to get “more viewers”. Their videos had an average of one thousand views, but the news of the failed stunt brought in 164 000 views to their latest video.
Most users have taken to cracking jokes about the incident, while some have offered their sympathy.
The YouTube channel appears to be slowly gaining subscribers.
