Two Las Vegas men, who as teenagers, intentionally struck and killed Andreas Probst, a 66-year-old retired police chief, with their vehicle, will spend the rest of their life behind bars.
District Judge Jacqueline Bluth ordered the life sentences on Tuesday. Jesus Ayala, 20, received a sentence of 20 years to life while 18-year-old Jzamir Keys was sentenced to 18 years to life. Both pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in October. Their sentences were agreed upon by them and prosecutors.
As previously reported, the pair killed Probst as he was riding his bike near Centennial Parkway, then fled. The crash occurred on Aug. 14, 2023. Moments before the crash, Keys filmed a video of himself and Ayala laughing and planning to hit Probst, a retired police chief from Bell, California.
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"There is no excuse for what you two have done and the damage and pain that you have caused," Bluth told the defendants. Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani called the crime "one of the most callous and egregious acts" he had seen. Community outrage about it was justified, he said.
After court, Giordani said 18 years to life was the maximum penalty for second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. Had the case gone to trial, the maximum penalty would have been 20 years to life because Ayala and Keys were juveniles at the time of the crime, he said.
As part of their plea agreements, both also admitted to a count of battery with a deadly weapon for injuring two other men with a vehicle. Ayala received an additional two- to 10-year sentence for the battery count.
Chief Deputy Public Defender David Westbrook, who represents Ayala, argued during the sentencing hearing that the killing of Probst was unintentional."At the time, they didn't understand the gravity of what they were doing, and didn't understand what could result, even though it seems obvious to anybody," he said.
Westbrook added that Ayala has expressed remorse and accepted his sentence, not wanting to put the victims through a trial. Both he and his client have been targeted by death threats, said the attorney, adding that fabricated videos have increased rage surrounding the case.
