FILE - Lt. Jason Johansson, with the Las Vegas police, speaks during a news conference about a series of hit-and run-crashes, Sept. 19, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil, File)
FILE - Lt. Jason Johansson, with the Las Vegas police, speaks during a news conference about a series of hit-and run-crashes, Sept. 19, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two Nevada men were given lengthy prison sentences Tuesday after pleading guilty to the fatal hit-and-run of a man who had been biking alongside a road in Las Vegas. They recorded the collision on video and laughed as they drove off.
A judge sentenced 20-year-old Jesus Ayala to 20 years to life, and 18-year-old Jzamir Keys to 18 years to life for second-degree murder with a deadly weapon, the Clark County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. The two pleaded guilty in October in a deal with prosecutors.
Retired California police chief Andreas “Andy†Probst, 64, was riding his bicycle in Las Vegas on Aug. 14, 2023, when he was intentionally struck by a stolen vehicle, according to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. Ayala was driving, and Keys sat in the passenger seat, according to the district attorney's office.
The video, taken from the passenger seat, shows the vehicle approaching Probst from behind as he rides near the curb on an otherwise traffic-free road. Voices in the car can be heard laughing as the vehicle steers toward Probst and rams the bicycle. Probst hurtles backward across the hood and into the windshield.
A school resource officer provided the with investigators, leading to the arrest of Ayala and Keys. It was later posted to social media and shared by Elon Musk, bringing national attention to the case.
Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani called the murders the most “callous and heinous†acts he had seen in his career.
“Although the defendants were young, they knew right from wrong, and nothing could excuse the decisions they made that day,†Giordani said in a statement. “I hope this sentence sends a message to other juveniles that life is sacred and if you take a life, you are forfeiting yours.â€
Ayala, who law enforcement authorities say was a member of the Night Crawlers gang, and Keys were juveniles at the time, limiting the court’s sentencing range, according to the Clark County District Attorney’s office. The court imposed the maximum sentence allowed. After 20 and 18 years respectively, Ayala and Keys will be eligible for parole.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Ayala’s attorney P. David Westbrook said Ayala is truly sorry for what he did. Westbrook noted there's no guarantee his client will get parole.
“He recognizes that he can never make this right, and he does not expect forgiveness, but in accepting this life sentence and sparing the victims’ families from the additional pain of going through a criminal trial, Mr. Ayala has done all he can do to show his remorse,†Westbrook said in an email.
Keys' attorney did not return a request for comment.
Probst's family said in 2023 that Ayala and Keys laughed in their direction while waiting for a court hearing to start, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Probst's family also filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Hyundai Motor Company, alleging Ayala and Keys were able to steal the vehicle using the “Tik Tok method,†a way to steal a car demonstrated on social media with just a screwdriver and a USB cable. On Tuesday, Hyundai and Kia that made a similar claim, and the companies agreed to repair millions of models for free to equip them with proper anti-theft technology.
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This story has been corrected to say Ayala and Keys were sentenced Tuesday, not Wednesday.
