Nikha Marcella DeGuzman was a 20-year-old Hispanic woman from Union City, California, remembered by family as a talented artist, poet, and musician who had worked for companies including Apple and Tesla. On the evening of January 27, 2022, guests at the Good Nite Inn in Fremont heard an argument from Room 219 followed by a single gunshot. Nikha’s boyfriend, Nolan Rian Hurd, called 911 a minute or two later and claimed she had shot herself. Witnesses reported seeing Nikha, naked, leave the room while Hurd attempted to pull her back inside; she was shot behind the ear, was initially conscious, and died at a hospital on January 29, 2022.

Investigators grew suspicious after witness statements, the bullet angle, and gunshot residue results that authorities said were inconsistent with a self-inflicted wound. Prosecutors later described the couple’s relationship as toxic and alleged Hurd tried to coach Nikha to take the blame while she was dying. Hurd was charged with murder in September 2022, arrested December 15, 2022, and later faced additional jailhouse charges. His first-degree murder charge went to trial; the jury acquitted on that count in August 2025 but deadlocked on lesser counts.

If anyone knew Nikha, her movements that night, or has information relevant to how she died, please share what is known.