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Husband Of Cyclist Who Was Allegedly Pushed Off Her Bike By Car Passenger Speaks Out
Lonny Weissman said his wife, Michelle "Shelli" Weissman, had just taken up bicycling as a pandemic hobby when Giovanni Medina Barajas allegedly leaned out a minivan to push her.
The husband of a Las Vegas woman who was killed after a man allegedly reached out of a minivan to push her off her bicycle is speaking out about the tragedy.
Michelle “Shelli” Weissman, 56, was biking in her Las Vegas community early Sunday morning when a passenger allegedly hung out of a vehicle and shoved her, according to a press release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“Absolute, unthinkable, most heinous criminal homicidal activity to ever take place and it's against the person on this planet that is the absolute least deserving of any such action, and anybody that knew her would tell you that," Shelli's husband, Lonny Weissman, told Oxygen.com on Thursday. "She was the least deserving of this.”
The man who police say pushed Shelli also died in the attack.
“At the same time, the passenger fell out of the moving vehicle and struck a light pole,” the press release stated.
The alleged pusher has been identified as Giovanni Medina Barajas, 20, 8 News Now reports. His death has been ruled an accident while Weissman’s death was ruled a murder. A motive for the alleged push has not been revealed.
"Senseless is an understatement," Lt. Raymond Spencer told KSNV earlier this week. "You have a woman who was out riding her bicycle and they pull up next to her and strike her, causing her to die. It's an absolute senseless act."
Police arrested Rodrigo Cruz, 22, who was allegedly driving the minivan during the accident, earlier this week. He has been charged with open murder in addition to being charged with not stopping for an accident and violating parole.
Lonny told Oxygen.com that he and his wife began cycling as a hobby in April after gyms shut down during the pandemic, adding that before COVID-19, Shelli would be in the gym up to five days a week. But although she loved working out, she also enjoyed eating. Lonny called her the "dessert queen," explaining she had an affection for cupcakes, cookies, and especially chocolates.
While she took care of and treated herself, Lonny noted that she was always thinking of others. He described her as generous and thoughtful.
“She's always putting everybody else first," he told Oxygen.com. "She always wants to make sure everybody else is taken care of. She wants to make sure that the world is good.”
Shelli was the Hotel Director of the Cannery Hotel and Casino in town. They are organizing a Thursday afternoon candlelight vigil at the scene of the deadly incident. Lonny said it should be well-attended, adding this his wife made friends everywhere she went.
"Her hobbies were making sure that the world was a better place," he said.
Cruz is being held without bail. He was charged with several counts of robbery and battery in 2016 but the case appears to have later been dismissed. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer.
