Police say a 38-year-old Las Vegas man shot and killed his longtime friend with a 9 mm Luger in an apartment complex parking lot after accusing him of having an affair with his live-in girlfriend. What exactly happened between the two men in the final moments before the fatal shot, however, remains a matter for the courts to determine.
TLDR
Las Vegas resident Mychael Thompson is charged with open murder with a deadly weapon in the February 12th, 2026, killing of his friend and temporary roommate, Antwon Watson. Police cite an argument over an alleged affair and shifting statements by Thompson, while Watson’s family describes the death as a profound betrayal.
The case centers on two men who, according to family members, had known each other for years. The victim, 35-year-old father of five Antwon Watson, had temporarily moved into Thompson’s Las Vegas apartment while he waited to secure his own housing. Relatives say he saw Thompson as someone he could rely on.
In interviews with local television stations, Watson’s daughters described their father as a trusted friend of the man now accused of his death. According to Law & Crime, one daughter, Faith Watson, told KSNV that her father believed he was in a safe place when he accepted the offer to stay at Thompson’s home.
“He went there to someone who he trusted, and he was betrayed,” she said.
BETRAYAL IN THE DESERT: Las Vegas Man Mychael Thompson Charged with Murder After Fatally Shooting Longtime Friend Antwon Watson Over Alleged Affair. What began as an act of generosity between two longtime friends has ended in an unimaginable…. https://t.co/CWf2kV5VzC pic.twitter.com/kdRmpE5XXf
— US News Today (@Harpogee) February 19, 2026
Alleged Argument Over Affair Claim
According to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department press release summarized in a Law & Crime report, officers were called to an apartment complex in the 4800 block of Spencer Street on February 12th, 2026. There, they found Watson lying in the parking lot near a dumpster with an apparent gunshot wound.
Investigators allege that an argument between the two men preceded the shooting. Court documents cited by Law & Crime state that Thompson’s girlfriend told police he returned to the apartment around 7 a.m. after a night of heavy drinking and accused Watson of having an affair with her.
The girlfriend told police that Watson urged Thompson to stop drinking. According to the documents, she recalled Watson telling Thompson, “Lay off the alcohol,” before the two men left the bedroom area and moved toward the front of the apartment.
Video from a neighbor’s security camera, obtained by detectives, reportedly shows Thompson confronting both his girlfriend and Watson and accusing them of having an affair. Police and family members say Watson had moved in with the couple about a month before the shooting.
What that confrontation looked like in full, and whether the camera captured the moment of the shooting itself, has not been detailed in public reporting. For now, the key elements in the record are that there was an accusation, an argument, and a single gunshot that left Watson mortally wounded.
Inside the Apartment, Then a Gunshot
The court documents, as described by Law & Crime, outline the girlfriend’s account of what happened inside the apartment just before the shooting. She reported seeing the men arguing face-to-face before they left the residence.
“As [the girlfriend] walked out of the master bedroom, she heard one gunshot and could smell gun powder,” the documents state. She then allegedly saw Watson run toward the front door while Thompson was in the bathroom.
The woman told police she went back into the bedroom and closed the door with her three children inside. When she emerged, both men were gone. Stepping outside, she found Watson lying on the ground near the dumpster as patrol officers arrived.
By the time police reached the complex, Thompson was no longer at the scene. Law & Crime reports that investigators used information about his vehicle to track him down and place him under arrest.
Investigators Cite Shifting Statements
After Thompson was taken into custody, detectives say his account changed multiple times. According to the court documents summarized in Law & Crime, Thompson at one point claimed he had not been at the apartment when the shooting occurred.
Police also described his demeanor during questioning. The documents state that Thompson was not “taking the interview and situation seriously” and refused to “give detectives his attention.” These characterizations reflect investigators’ impressions and have not yet been tested in court.
Thompson is currently facing a charge of open murder with a deadly weapon. In Nevada, an open murder charge allows prosecutors to pursue different degrees of homicide under a single count, leaving questions of degree and intent to be resolved through later proceedings.
As of the Law & Crime report, Thompson was being held without bail. No trial date or plea information was publicly reported in that coverage. He is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty in court.
Family Mourns While Legal Case Begins
While the criminal case moves through its early stages, Watson’s family is publicly expressing grief and anger at the circumstances of his death. They emphasize both his role as a parent and what they see as a deep personal betrayal by someone he considered a friend.
Watson was a father of five, and family members told reporters that he had another child on the way. Law & Crime reports that his daughters described the impact of his killing on the extended family and their desire for a severe sentence if Thompson is convicted.
“I hope he [will] be in jail for the rest of his life because … we’re all in pain right now,” daughter Destiny Watson told KSNV, according to the Law & Crime account. “We’re all sad, the whole family.”
The family members’ statements capture only one side of a case that has yet to reach trial, but they highlight what is at stake for those closest to the victim. As with many alleged crimes involving friends or family members, the questions extend beyond what can be seen on a security camera or recorded in a police interview.
Key details remain unresolved in the public record, including the precise sequence of events between the argument and the gunshot and whether any prior conflicts between the men were documented. Those questions, along with the credibility of witness accounts and Thompson’s statements, are likely to be central as prosecutors, defense lawyers, and the court begin to test the evidence.
For now, the case stands at an early procedural stage, with a serious charge filed, a defendant in custody, and a family mourning a loss they describe as both sudden and deeply personal. How Nevada’s courts ultimately classify the killing of Antwon Watson, and what weight they give to the alleged affair and shifting accounts, remains to be decided.
