Nevada : Sara Lynne Halsey

Written By Navigating Advocacy Podcast

My case takes us to sin city…. Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a city located in the state of Nevada in the United States that is famous for its casinos, entertainment, and nightlife. The city's history is closely tied to the mob, specifically the Italian-American Mafia. In the 1940s and 1950s, organized crime figures such as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Meyer Lansky invested in and built casinos in Las Vegas, using them as a means of laundering money and generating income. The mob's influence in Las Vegas continued into the 1960s and 1970s, with prominent figures such as Anthony Spilotro acting as enforcers for 

the mafia's interests in the city. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, the FBI cracked down on organized crime in Las Vegas, resulting in the arrest and imprisonment of several key figures. Today, while the mob's presence in Las Vegas is much diminished, the city's association with organized crime continues to be a part of its cultural mythology.

Although the mob has moved on from Las Vegas, there is no shortage of crime in the desert city. The story I’m sharing is from 1993 when Las Vegas had a significantly higher rate of violent crime compared to present-day statistics. According to FBI data, the violent crime rate in Las Vegas in 1993 was 1,225.9 per 100,000 people. This included 181 murders, 1,077 rapes, and 6,820 aggravated assaults. Surprisingly, the most recent data shows that the violent crime rate in Las Vegas has decreased significantly, with a rate of 720.5 per 100,000 people in 2021. This includes 149 murders, 812 rapes, and 4,757 aggravated assaults. While there is still room for improvement, the decrease in violent crime over the years is a positive trend for the city of Las Vegas.

Before we talk about the night that changed a woman’s future forever, let me tell you a bit about her. Sarah Lynne Halsey was a 20-year-old student of the Community College of Southern Nevada but planning to attend the University of Nevada in Las Vegas in the fall. She had a proclivity for mathematics and wanted to become an engineer like her father, John. She was already in the planning stages for her degree, setting schedules, choosing classes, and looking forward to her future education and the ability to take her love for math into a career. 

Before Sara had the opportunity to attend UNLV, she was doing what most 20-year-olds do. Enjoying the start of summer break with her friends. The evening of Friday, May 21, 1993, was no different than any other Friday night for Sara and her friends. They made plans to go out to a local gathering spot off East Harmon Avenue just a block off of the strip. It was called the Shark Club and was a well-known favorite location for young women. They had live music regularly and had been around since the late 1970s. It originally opened as one of the first true dance clubs in Las Vegas under the name of Jubilation and called itself the largest disco in the world at one point. It was 10,000 square feet and was said to be the first club to use metal detectors to find weapons on patrons. In 1987 the club was renovated and rebranded as the Shark Club. No doubt once performed here before they broke it big. 

Sara and one of her friends arrived at the shark club around 11 pm and were standing in the parking lot waiting for more friends to meet them. While chatting, a dark-colored, 1980s Camaro or Firebird with dark windows pulled up beside the women, and a black woman leaned out of the window and asked if either of the women had a lighter. Sara opened her purse to grab a lighter but before she could hand it to her, the woman tried to yank the purse away from Sara. Sara fought back and was shot in the chest. The driver of the car tore off after the shooting heading west on East Harmon Avenue towards the strip. Everything happened so quickly, no license plate numbers were noticed. A bystander ran to call 911 while Sara’s friend frantically tried to stop the bleeding that was gushing from Sara’s chest. An ambulance arrived in minutes and they rushed her to the University Medical Center 5 miles away. 


The friend was then tasked with calling Sara’s father John to tell him the horrible news. Sara’s mother and stepfather were also notified and both parents with their significant others headed toward the hospital. Sara succumbed to her injuries before could arrive. 

Investigations began immediately and there were many witnesses in the parking lot of the Shark Club. Unfortunately, the shooting happened so quickly, no one was able to provide any tangible leads for law enforcement to go on. Sara’s friend was able to provide a description of the woman who leaned out of the vehicle. She was a soft-spoken black woman wearing a dark blue or black baseball cap with the letter X on it in white. With the dark tint, no one saw the driver. No witnesses could even tell if the passenger or driver shot Sara. In fact, no one was even sure that only 2 people were in the car! 

Police sought the public’s help but no movement was made in finding Sara’s murderer. The family had flyers created and distributed offering a reward but these flyers brought in very few tips. 

Just a few months before Sara’s murder, her sister’s fiance and her soon-to-be brother-in-law were taken by cancer. During his service, Sara made a comment about people spending money on floral arrangements for the funeral and how if she were to ever pass she would want the money to instead be given to college students. Her family knew what to do to honor Sara after she passed and immediately established the Sara Lynne Halsey Memorial Scholarship at UNLV to help others pursue a degree in a STEM program. In fact, they left Sara’s funeral and made the drive to UNLV and endowed this scholarship the very same day. In the Fall of 1994, the UNLV magazine noted that nearly $11,000 had been raised for the endowed scholarship and the first award was $680.  It is still awarded every year and they are hosting a fundraising event in May of this year. 

Sara’s case has been cold since 1993 but her family is not giving up hope that someone knows something and it is not too late to come forward. There have been no arrests or leads in Sara’s murder. If you know anything about Sara’s murder, please call the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at 702–828–3521. You can also email them at Homicide@LVMPD.com.

The University of Nevada Las Vegas is also still accepting donations to the Sara Lynne Halsey Memorial Scholarship.

Navigating Advocacy Podcast

Whitney and Melissa, hosts of Navigating Advocacy, blend their true crime interests with a mission to spark justice through storytelling, inspiring action, and building a community of advocates.

https://www.navigatingadvocacy.com
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