LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A woman accused of stabbing her date in a Las Vegas-area hotel room in retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed an Iranian leader has agreed to plead guilty to two lesser charges and could avoid prison time, documents said.
Nika Nikoubin, 22, is on house arrest in Texas. In February, police there said they were never made aware of Nikoubin’s charges in Nevada as she had left home to make music and videos, the 8 News Now Investigators first reported.
Last year, a Clark County grand jury indicted Nikoubin on charges of attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon because of certain, actual or perceived characteristics of a person, and two counts of battery. An amendment indictment and a plea agreement filed Tuesday night reveal Nikoubin will instead plead guilty to two counts of false imprisonment with the use of a deadly weapon.
Henderson police arrested Nikoubin, a University of Texas at Dallas student, shortly after the stabbing on March 5, 2022, at Sunset Station. Nikoubin and the male victim met online on the dating website Plenty of Fish, Henderson police wrote in an arrest report. The duo then agreed to meet at the hotel, booking a room together, police said.
While in the room, the pair began engaging in sexual activity, when Nikoubin put a blindfold on the victim, police said. Nikoubin then turned off the lights, and several seconds later, stabbed the victim in the neck, documents said.
Nikoubin’s attorney had argued the charge of attempted murder was not appropriate, saying her client did not intend to kill the young man, documents said.
The stabbing victim was able to speak to investigators that same night. Photos show his injuries, which included at least two puncture wounds to his neck.
While speaking to officers at the hotel, Nikoubin said she wanted to get revenge for a drone strike, which killed Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in 2020. Soleimani was a popular Iranian military officer and right-hand man to the country’s supreme leader. Former President Donald Trump called for Soleimani’s assassination to kill “the number-one terrorist anywhere in the world” to protect “American diplomats and military personnel” worldwide.
The 8 News Now Investigators obtained body camera video in December, showing officers talking to Nikoubin before her arrest.
“I guess out of spite and revenge,” she told the officer when he asked why she stabbed the victim.
“What do you mean by that? Like, why?” the officer asked.
“I mean the U.S. killed Soleimani. Lots of blood spilled,” she said. “So, I feel like, it’s fair that American blood be spilled.”
Nikoubin had pleaded not guilty. Earlier this year and while on house arrest, Nikoubin released a music video for a song called “Spaceman” under the name Nika Borouj. During a February hearing, Judge Carli Kierny ordered Nikoubin to adhere to strict stipulations of her house arrest in Texas.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors will not recommend a sentence to Kierny, documents said. The charge, a Category B felony, carries a statutory prison sentence of 1-20 years, but Nikoubin is eligible for probation and may not have to serve any time in the Nevada Department of Corrections.
Kierny will have the final say on Nikoubin’s sentence. It was unclear as of Wednesday morning when a sentencing hearing was scheduled.
