Child support papers were found beside one victim after the attack, police say.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A family court dispute over custody and child support preceded a Las Vegas grocery store shooting that killed Amanda Frias Rosas and her husband, Victor Frias Rosas, police reports and court records show.
The documents have become central to the case against Alejandro Estrada, 43, who is accused of killing the couple inside a Smith’s grocery store May 12. Police say Estrada and Amanda Frias Rosas shared two children, had a yearslong dispute over parental rights and support, and were due back in court less than three weeks after the shooting.
Investigators say the paperwork was not a side detail. It was part of the scene. According to a police report, Estrada carried a red folder of family court documents in his backpack and placed it beside Amanda Frias Rosas after shooting her so police would understand why he had killed her. Detectives wrote that the folder was found tucked near her body when the crime scene was processed. Estrada told investigators he shot Victor Frias Rosas because Victor was “part of the problem too,” the report says. Police also wrote that Estrada said he planned to “shoot it out” with officers if bystanders had not stopped him outside the store.
The former couple’s family history stretched back years. Estrada told detectives Amanda Frias Rosas broke up with him in 2020 after he lost his job. He said he later lost parental rights involving their two children and had to pay child support that he said he could not afford. Local reports citing court filings say he had been ordered to pay $342 a month and owed more than $2,800 as of November. About two weeks before the shooting, a roommate told police, Estrada said he thought Amanda Frias Rosas was taking him to court over support and that he might go to jail for failing to pay. He had a court date set for June 1.
Police say the June 1 notice became a turning point in Estrada’s own account. During an interview at a hospital after his arrest, Estrada said that after being served with the notice he decided he would have to kill Amanda Frias Rosas because she was ruining his life and would not stop, according to the report. Detectives also wrote that Estrada destroyed his phone and other electronics two days before the shooting and deleted his social media accounts. Those steps, police said, came before he left his North Las Vegas home early May 12, dressed in black and carrying a backpack.
Amanda Frias Rosas had posted publicly about the strain of co-parenting before her death. In a January 2025 Facebook post, she wrote that hate for an ex should not be stronger than love for a child. “You’re just hurting your child by hurting your ex,” she wrote. In September 2025, she shared a message about real parenting and added that children should not be used as pawns to fulfill a “vendetta.” Police have not said those posts were direct evidence in the criminal case, but they matched the custody conflict described in reports. Amanda Frias Rosas married Victor Frias Rosas in February 2025 after her separation from Estrada.
The shooting happened on a date already marked by the family. The son shared by Amanda Frias Rosas and Estrada turned 12 that day. Their younger child had a birthday two days later. At the Smith’s store on South Maryland Parkway, Amanda and Victor Frias Rosas had a birthday cake in their cart, according to co-worker Arturo Salazar. “They had a cake that said, ‘Happy birthday,’” Salazar said. Police and news reports said the children were not present when the couple were killed. A fundraiser later described the children as facing an unimaginable loss, and friends described the couple as warm, smiling and helpful.
The police account of May 12 begins away from the store. Investigators say Estrada left home at 6:46 a.m. Surveillance video later showed someone matching his description at the couple’s home shortly before 11 a.m. Police found a doorbell camera ripped from the entrance, a shattered rear sliding door, a casing on the back patio and a bullet in the living room. The master bedroom had been ransacked. Estrada told detectives he had gone there to find Amanda and Victor Frias Rosas and became angry when they were not home, according to the report. Four minutes after arriving, a person matching his description was seen leaving the residence.
Estrada then went to the Smith’s near Maryland Parkway and Silverado Ranch Boulevard, police said. The couple both worked at the store, though reports described them as shopping when they were attacked. Store surveillance showed Estrada arriving around 11:20 a.m. Detectives said he found Amanda and Victor Frias Rosas, circled the produce section and waited for a moment when their backs were turned and no other people were close. Police said he followed them into an aisle and shot them multiple times. Officers later recovered eight .45-caliber cartridge casings near the victims. Police also said the head stamp on a bullet tied to Estrada matched one found at the couple’s home.
The store erupted after the shots. Witness Paula Milton said she heard what sounded like about eight rounds. She said the suspect was calm as others ran and screamed. Hanna Manker, who was shopping with her children, said people began running and she dropped down with her children because she did not know what else to do. Police said Estrada walked out after the shooting and was confronted near the pharmacy drive-thru. Merconie Clark said he wrestled with the gunman. Darius Alston said he joined the effort after hearing Clark call out. Officers arrived to find three citizens restraining Estrada. Police said he had multiple guns and loaded magazines.
The criminal case now combines both locations, the couple’s home and the grocery store. Estrada was first booked in absentia on two counts of open murder with use of a deadly weapon, eight counts of discharging a firearm within an occupied structure, burglary while in possession of a firearm and aggravated stalking with use of a deadly weapon. A separate case later accused him of home invasion, burglary and discharging a gun into a structure at the Frias Rosas home. Prosecutors consolidated the cases, and local reports say he is now held without bail on 14 felony charges, including two first-degree murder counts.
In court, Judge Amy Wilson said the allegations showed extreme danger not only to the victims but also to the public. A public defender said Estrada plans to enter a not guilty plea. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said the death penalty may be considered. The June 1 family court date that police say helped trigger the attack has now been replaced by a murder prosecution. Estrada’s next criminal hearing is set for June 29 at 9:30 a.m.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.