Overview
- In June 2017 in Halstad, Minnesota, Pedro Ruiz held a 1.5-inch hardback encyclopedia to his chest as Monalisa Perez fired a .50-caliber Desert Eagle from about a foot away.
- The round pierced the book and struck Ruiz in the chest, and he died at the scene despite an air ambulance arriving.
- Perez was arrested, later pleading guilty in December 2017 to second-degree manslaughter after prosecutors cited culpable negligence.
- A judge imposed six months in jail to be served intermittently over three years, ten years of supervised probation, a firearms ban, and a prohibition on profiting from the footage or incident.
- Relatives said the couple sought online fame, with an aunt recalling warnings against the stunt and a tweet from Perez calling it his idea.