KILLER TWIST
Vegas maniac Stephen Paddock’s girlfriend was ‘sent away’ to Philippines by him so she didn’t interfere with his massacre plans, her sisters claim
THE girlfriend of the Las Vegas shooter has been met in a wheelchair by federal detectives after returning to the US - with her sisters claiming she had been "sent away" overseas so she couldn't interfere in the massacre.
Marilou Danley has again been described as a "person of interest" as it was revealed gun maniac Stephen Paddock wired £75k to her home country of the Philippines before he unleashed the worst mass shooting in modern America's history.
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Images from Los Angeles International Airport showed the woman, who voluntarily returned to the US to "clear her name", being wheeled through the terminal but it is not known why she needed the assistance.
reported that she had assured her family she had a "clean conscience", telling her older brother Reynaldo Bustos not to "panic" after it was revealed police wanted to speak to her about the gun massacre that lasted between nine to 11 minutes and saw 59 people killed and more than 500 injured on Las Vegas' Strip on Sunday night.
Her sisters have suggested the woman was "sent away" to the Philippines by Paddock so that she would not interfere with his plans.
One of the sisters : "He sent her away so that he can plan what he is planning without interruptions."
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They added she was a "good person and gentle soul" and said they hoped she could help authorities.
The unnamed woman said: "No one can put the puzzles together. No one. Except Marilou. Because Steve is not here to talk anymore. Only Marilou can maybe help."
Police are desperately trying to figure out Paddock's motive, with the killer having been found dead after SWAT teams stormed into his hotel room on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay Resort on Sunday night.
Sheriff Lombardo said he was "absolutely" confident authorities would find out what set off Paddock, a high-stakes gambler and retired accountant and warned: "If this person (Paddock) has been radicalised unbeknownst to us, then we want to identify that source."
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The growing investigation comes as further information has been revealed about Paddock's relationship with Marilou.
reported on Tuesday Marilou had often visited the Mesquite Starbucks with Stephen Paddock - saying the man would often berate his girlfriend in front of them.
Worker Esperanza Mendoza said: "He would glare down at her and say, with a mean attitude, ‘You don’t need my casino card for this. I’m paying for your drink, just like I’m paying for you'."
It was initially reported by that Marilou Danley had multiple identities, and had been married twice at the same time, but this report has since been retracted.
A Philippine news outlet, ABS-CBN reported that Mrs Danley was in Manila by September 22 - ten days before the shooting.
Mrs Danley, whose immigration records show she left the Philippines on October 3, has not been charged with a crime.
reported that she had returned from the Philippines but was not officially in custody.
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In an exclusive interview with Sun Online, the neighbour of couple Stephen Paddock and Marilou Danley revealed how the 64-year-old man fled town after buying a new silver minivan at the start of August.
Suzy Page, 68, said: “I remember at the start of August looking out of my window and seeing Stephen pull up in a brand new huge silver minivan but just a few days later he left the house in it and was never seen again."
She added: “I thought the whole situation was even weirder when two weeks later I then look out of my window again to see Marilou stuffing her car full of all her belongings.
“Over the course of three or four days it was like she was moving her entire life out of the house.
“She packed so much stuff not only was her car full, but it was also tied to the top of her car.
“After a few days of packing she too pulled out of the driveway and was never seen again.
“It was all very strange.”
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It has since been revealed that Paddock was prescribed an anti-anxiety drug that can lead to aggressive behaviour.
The gunman and gambling addict had bought 50 10-milligram tablets of diazepam in June - with studies having shown that the drug can trigger fits of violence.
CBS further reported that he had purchased 33 firearms in the last year alone.
Grave concerns were also raised that Paddock may have tried to target another festival, headlined by Muse and Lords, the week before the blood bath.
The mass murderer reportedly tried to book specific suites at The Ogden hotel during the Life is Beautiful open-air festival, but was unable to get the rooms he requested.
Hundreds of people were forced to dive for cover after gunfire erupted during a set at the open-air Route 91 Harvest Festival on Sunday.
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Authorities released police body camera video that showed the chaos of the attack as officers tried to figure out the location of the shooter and shuttle people to safety. Amid sirens and volleys of gunfire, people yelled "they're shooting right at us" while officers shouted "go that way!"
Paddock’s massive cache of weapons was believed to include an AK-47, an AR-15, four DDM4 rifles, three FN-15 rifles and Sig Sauer rifles.
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