Phillip Frank Panzica III Killed During Carjacking: Houston Man Was Recently Arrested For Tryst On Las Vegas Ferris Wheel
Phillip Frank Panzica III, known best for getting caught while having sex on a Las Vegas Ferris wheel last month, was killed Saturday in his hometown of Houston, Texas. Two men, Bryant Christopher Watts and Aaron Jones, have been arrested for shooting and killing Panzica during a carjacking.
Investigators say Panzica, 27, had gone inside the club and at some point was with Watts and Jones. When the fiancée got off shift, she went into the parking lot to find Panzica. Jones, 31, went up to her and said Panzica was in her black Kia Sorento.
As Panzica was in the driver’s seat, the fiancée, who has not been named, got in the car on the other side. Jones and Watts both got into the back seat.
As reported by the Las Vegas Journal-Review, 28-year-old Watts pulled out a handgun and shot Panzica multiple times while he was driving. According to investigators, Watts told Panzica to “come clean” just before he started firing. The car came to a stop in an intersection.
The pair of suspects then dragged Panzica’s body out of the car, demanded the fiancée to get out, and drove off. She was able to flag down a city bus and told the driver that her husband-to-be was just shot.
Hours later, a Menard County deputy sheriff witnessed a black Kia Sorento speeding and initiated a pursuit. After several law enforcement agencies joined the chase, the car was eventually stopped in Concho County.
Watts, who was driving, confessed to robbing and killing Panzica. Both suspects were arrested for capital murder and booked into the Menard County jail. The alleged assailants were also carrying a large amount of cash.
The murder of Phillip Frank Panzica III comes a little over a month from when he made headlines for an incident in Las Vegas. In February, Panzica and a woman he had recently met while walking along Las Vegas Boulevard were caught having sex in cabin 16 of the famous strip Ferris wheel, the High Roller.
Another couple in cabin 15 witnessed the sexual encounter and recorded it with a cellphone. Panzica later claimed he didn’t know other people could see in.
“I was drunk and I was running around naked acting like a little kid again,” said Panzica. “We get up to the highest point and we were like… We’re golden!”
Las Vegas police arrived and reviewed the surveillance video, which clearly showed the pair exposing themselves and having sex. The footage prompted cops to arrest the couple on various charges, including indecent exposure. After posting a $3,000 bail, they were arraigned in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Panzica’s attorney, Bennair Bateman, said during a February 10 court hearing that his client intended to plead guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct for his part in the sexcapade. The plea was expected in writing by April.
While Panzica’s fiancée has not been identified, a previous report of the high-flying sexcapade from Action News 13 claimed she is 36-year-old Mistie Bozant. Allegedly, she was the one who posted bail for Panzica.
Bozant and Panzica were in Las Vegas the weekend of February 5 to get married. However, a fight between the two led to Panzica walking Las Vegas Boulevard, getting drunk, and bumping into Scordianos.
While Bozant may be the fiancée from the Las Vegas trip, it is not quite clear yet if she is the same woman that witnessed Bryant Christopher Watts kill Phillip Frank Panzica.
[Photo by Lawrence Jenkins/Getty Images]
