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Monalisa Perez Will Go To Jail For Six Months For Killing Boyfriend During Youtube Stunt

Monalisa Perez fatally shot her boyfriend Pedro Ruiz III while trying to record a YouTube stunt. They thought a book would protect him from a .50 caliber bullet.

By Gina Tron

A Minnesota woman who fatally shot her boyfriend during a YouTube stunt gone terribly wrong last June will only spend six months behind bars, in ten-day increments.

Monalisa Perez, 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on last week, according to The New York Times. She was pregnant when she used a .50 caliber Desert Eagle to shoot 22-year-old Pedro Ruiz III, who was holding a thick Encyclopedia in front of his chest. They both believed the book’s thickness would protect Ruiz’s body from the bullet and they were hoping it would make for a great viral video. Sadly, they were wrong. The couple's 3-year-old daughter also witnessed the shooting, according to TwinCities.com.

By pleading guilty, she avoided a lengthy sentence. On Wednesday, the mother of two received just 180 days behind bars. In addition to that, she will be on probation for a decade and she’ll never be allowed to own a firearm, according to WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota. Perez moved to South Dakota after the shooting and her plea deal will allow her to serve her prison sentence in 10-day increments in that state.

In court, Ruiz’ aunt Paulita Ruiz told Perez, “You took him away from us, Mona.” She also told her that the Ruiz family doesn’t hate her, but a scoff could be heard from one of Ruiz’s loved ones as she said those words, WDAY reported.  

The couple had their own YouTube channel and were reportedly aiming to become more famous. The couple’s prank videos usually contained innocent tricks, such as Perez giving Ruiz a doughnut covered in baby powder.

[Photo: YouTube]