‘He was my soul mate’: Woman who lost husband reflects on lasting impact of deadly attack
Yoni Barrios killed two people and injured six others during in the 2022 attack.
By Justin Hinton
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KTNV) — Heartache and grief — that’s what is left behind two-and-a-half years after a deadly stabbing spree on the Las Vegas Strip.
You may remember that in 2022, Yoni Barrios killed two people and injured six others during that attack. As Channel 13 reported on Tuesday, he will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
After the gavel, we’re hearing more memories of that day from victims and their families. That includes Carmelita Hallett, who lost her husband, Brent, in the attack. She spoke on the phone with Good Morning Las Vegas anchor Justin Hinton from Alberta, Canada, where she lives.
To say life without her husband has been difficult for Carmelita would be an understatement.
“It’s nothing like it was before, and I didn’t want that for the longest time,” she said. “I still don’t want it, but it is what I have to live with.”
Brent and Carmelita were supposed to live out their lives in Thailand, but after Brent was killed, Carmelita says she went back to Canada to be surrounded by family.
Hallett tells us she chose not to be in the courtroom to hear the man who killed her husband be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“I’ve never been a mean person, but for me, there’s no forgiveness. It’s not like I hate him; I just don’t want to think about him,” she said. “Thinking about him and hating him doesn’t change what happened, so instead I decided to focus on myself and remembering Brent in better times.”
Those better times included many trips to Las Vegas — including their marriage ceremony at the Little White Chapel’s “Tunnel of Love.”
JUSTIN HINTON: I hate to ask this next question, but I do wonder, with how much he loved Las Vegas, do you think that you would come back? CARMELITA HALLETT: No, never. That’s part of the reason why I always said I’d never come back, so I didn’t want to come back if there was a trial or sentencing. His mother kind of wanted to, but thankfully, she said no. But no, I’ll never step foot within that city again, and maybe not the United States in general. It’s just too many memories.
She says forming Jumpy, an animal welfare organization in Brent’s memory, has also helped. Its mission is to provide funding to not-for-profit animal welfare organizations that work to improve the well-being of animals — particularly rabbits, Brent’s favorite.
“He was my soul mate and best friend,” Hallett said.
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