Las Vegas Men Sentenced for Murdering Former Police Chief

Two men from Las Vegas, accused of deliberately hitting a former police chief while he was biking, were sentenced to long prison terms. This comes despite one of them, at the time of his arrest, claiming he’d only receive “a slap on the wrist.”

On Tuesday, in Clark County District Court, Jesus Ayala, 20, and Jazamir Keyes, 18, were sentenced for the August 2023 murder of Andreas “Andy” Probst, a 64-year-old retired California police chief. It was reported by the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Ayala, who was 17 during the incident, will spend 20 years behind bars. Keyes, who was 16 at the time, received an 18-year sentence.

Ayala, the driver of the stolen vehicle, received an additional penalty of 2 to 10 years for battery.

Their sentences were agreed upon after a plea deal was struck between their defense and the prosecution.

District Judge Jacqueline Bruce remarked during the sentencing, “There is no excuse for the actions of both of you and the harm and suffering you have caused.”

In October, Ayala and Keyes both pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon after they intentionally struck Probst while he was cycling in a neighborhood.

The pair had taken a Hyundai Elantra for their crime, and during the incident, Keyes filmed from the passenger seat.

The video captured them laughing as they planned to confront Probst, with one of them saying, “I’m going to punch his ass” before they attacked the retired officer.

Prior to killing Probst, they had struck a 72-year-old cyclist, who survived, and then crashed into another vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, as they fled, according to prosecutors.

The video depicting Probst’s tragic death gained widespread attention online.

Ayala, having just turned 18 at the time, was detained shortly after the murder. While in custody, he expressed a belief that his punishment wouldn’t be severe, saying he was “not going to be locked up for long” and that he expected to be out soon, even dismissing the charges as a hit-and-run that would only yield a light sentence.

Probst’s widow, Crystal, expressed her grief at the sentencing, stating that her husband’s murder had robbed her of “an entire world.”

“They stole the future we won, moment by moment, year by year,” she said. “And they left behind an irreplaceable silence. The pain they caused will not go away; it will grow.”

“I wake up and feel like I’m being asked to live a life that I no longer recognize,” she added, reflecting on her loss.

Michael, Probst’s son, shared his heartache in court, saying he was “heartbroken and torn” upon hearing about his father’s death. “The moment I found out he was dead, all I could do was scream,” he recalled.

His sister, Taylor, also spoke about the profound loss, stating that they took away significant moments he’d never experience, like walking her down the aisle on her wedding day.

“My father will never have an experience like that,” she stated. “He’ll never have the chance to walk his little daughter down the aisle, or hold his first grandchild because that was stolen from him.”

When given the chance to speak at the hearing, both Ayala and Keyes chose to remain silent.