Former G League player Chance Comanche, who was charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found near Las Vegas, had his trial date set for March 10, 2025, at a hearing on Wednesday morning.
Comanche appeared in front of Judge Michelle Leavitt of Clark County, Nevada's 8th Judicial District Court.
Comanche's trial was set after he pleaded not guilty last Thursday. On the same day, his lawyer, Gary L. Guymon, told ESPN that the state decided that Comanche, who also was charged with kidnapping, will not face the possibility of the death penalty if he were to be found guilty at trial.
Prosecutors said that Comanche and his former girlfriend, Sakari Harnden -- who faces murder and kidnapping charges related to the death of the same woman -- will be tried together. Harnden, 19, also pleaded not guilty.
The charges against Comanche and Harnden are related to the disappearance and death of Marayna Rodgers, who is from Lynnwood, Washington. Las Vegas police said Rodgers, a medical assistant, was choked to death early Dec. 6. Her remains were later found in a roadside ditch in suburban Henderson.
An autopsy report obtained by ESPN concluded Rodgers' death was a homicide caused by asphyxia due to strangulation.
After his arrest, Comanche, a 6-foot-10 power forward and center, was dropped by the Stockton Kings, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. The team had played the G League Ignite in Henderson, Nevada, on Dec. 5. Comanche played one NBA game, for the Portland Trail Blazers, on April 9, 2023. He collected seven points and three rebounds in the Trail Blazers' 56-point loss to the Golden State Warriors.