Images of a book that a YouTuber held minutes before he was shot dead by his girlfriend in an ill-advised stunt have been released by prosecutors in Minnesota.
The Norman County State Attorney’s Office also released video and transcripts from the fateful final clip of Pedro Ruiz, 22, and his then-pregnant girlfriend Monalisa Perez, 20.
The images appear to show a damaged gold covered book with a large hole in the center apparently caused by the force of a speeding bullet.
Words written on the front cover the book reads ‘Plz Hit Here’ with a curved arrow pointing to a drawing of a bulls-eye.
Images of a book that a YouTuber held minutes before he was shot dead by his girlfriend in an ill-advised stunt were released over the weekend
The images appear to show a damaged gold covered book with a large hole in the center apparently caused by the force of a speeding bullet
Pedro Ruiz, 22, and his then-pregnant girlfriend Monalisa Perez, 20 are seen in the video
Words written on the front cover the book reads ‘Plz Hit Here’ with a curved arrow pointing at a drawing of a bulls-eye (pictured: Desert Eagle handgun allegedly used in Ruiz’s death)
The Desert Eagle (above) is among the most powerful handguns in the world
Ruiz proposed using an encyclopedia as armor as Perez shot the book with the handgun
‘I can’t do it, babe. I’m so scared,’ Perez told her boyfriend in the transcript from the June 2017 video, as she wielded a .50-caliber Desert Eagle – one of the most powerful handguns in the world.
While cameras were rolling, she fired and the bullet went through the book, killing Ruiz.
‘Babe, if I kill you what’s gonna happen to my life. Like, no this isn’t okay,’ the transcript reads.
Perez, of Redfield, South Dakota, was sentenced earlier this year to 180 days in jail for second-degree manslaughter.
Perez was pregnant with her second child at the time of Ruiz’s death and their son was born in September.
In the released portion of the video from the stunt, Ruiz addresses the camera and says: ‘So if I’m going to die, I’m pretty much ready to go to heaven right now. If I die, I’ll be ready for Jesus.
‘He probably won’t accept me into the pearly gates because of how stupid this is, but I have confidence that my girlfriend will hit the book and not me.’
Ruiz shows off the gold-plated .50-caliber Desert Eagle handgun moments before the stunt
Ruiz shows off the size of the .50 Action Express cartridge that he hoped a book would stop
The cartridge is among the largest in the world that can be fired by a semi-auto pistol
The video, shot shortly before Ruiz’s death is rambling and amateurish at times
Transcripts show Perez hesitated before the stunt but Ruiz urged her on to shoot at him
New transcript show Monalisa Perez (left), 20, of Minnesota, resisting to shoot dead her boyfriend, Pedro Ruiz III (right), 22, during a botched YouTube stunt last year
The mother-of-two took a plea deal in December that will allow her to serve out half of her jail term in increments of 30 days per year for the next three years.
She is also banned from ever possessing firearms.
After the shooting, Perez told police on a 911 call that Ruiz had asked her to fire a bullet from a pistol into an encyclopedia as he held it against his body.
But the projectile penetrated the volume and fatally wounded the young father.
The fatal shooting was captured on two cameras that had been set up to record the stunt.
Perez told a 911 dispatcher their YouTube prank had failed and her boyfriend had been shot in the chest
Their three-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, was present when the shooting occurred.
‘We were doing a YouTube video and it went wrong. Please hurry up,’ Perez told the 911 dispatcher in June 2017.
Prior to the shooting, Perez had tweeted: ‘Me and Pedro are probably going to shoot one of the most dangerous videos ever. HIS idea not MINE’.
If the 20-year-old had gone to trial and was found guilty, she could have been looking at up to 10 years behind bars.
The prosecutor handling Perez’s case said Ruiz’s family members signed off on the plea deal.
The couple’s YouTube channel had 218 subscribers at the time and included pranks like Perez feeding Ruiz donuts covered in baby powder.
In their last video together, the family go to a fairground and Perez says: ‘Imagine when we have 300,000 subscribers.’
Prior to the shooting, Perez had tweeted: ‘Me and Pedro are probably going to shoot one of the most dangerous videos ever. HIS idea not MINE’