LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Clark County District Court judge sentenced two young men Tuesday to decades in prison after they killed a retired police chief in a deadly crime spree.
Jesus Ayala, 20; and Jzamir Keys, 18, appeared to intentionally mow down two bicyclists in the northwest Las Vegas valley in August 2023. Retired California police chief Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, died when Ayala and Keys intentionally collided with him. Another bicyclist, a man in his 70s, survived.
Both men were teenagers at the time of the crime spree. Cell phone video recorded by the teenagers themselves was a key piece of evidence in the murder case. Las Vegas Metro police identified Jesus Ayala, who was 17 at the time, as the driver who swerved into Probst. Jzamir Keys, who was 16 at the time, was the passenger who recorded the cell phone video, according to police.
The now-viral video of the incident circulated within several Las Vegas high schools in the weeks after the murder, according to documents the NewsNation affiliate KLAS obtained. It was not until a student approached a school resource officer in late August 2023 that Metro police learned the act appeared intentional, documents said.
In October, Ayala and Keys both pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and battery with use of a deadly weapon, according to court records obtained by KLAS.
Ayala’s defense team and prosecutors agreed to a sentence of 20 years to life, as outlined in the plea agreement. The plea agreement for Keys specified a prison term of 18 years to life.
On Tuesday, Clark County District Court Judge Jacqueline Bluth sentenced the young men to the terms of the agreements.
“This was so much more than a joyride,” Bluth said. “It just kept going and going and escalating and escalating, and more people kept getting hurt.”
Ayala‘s plea agreement specified that the battery charge is through an Alford plea, meaning Ayala is not admitting guilt. Still, it acknowledges that prosecutors may have enough evidence to lead to a conviction.
Neither Ayala nor Keys spoke during the sentencing, other than telling Bluth they had nothing to say. Because both men were juveniles when the crimes were committed, Nevada law requires that they be eligible for parole after 20 years.
“They didn’t just kill Andy. They filmed his murder and released it to the world,” Crystal Probst, Andy Probst’s wife, said.
In 2015, Assembly Bill 267 retroactively granted offenders under 18 parole eligibility after serving 20 years for crimes resulting in death. Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings removed life sentences without parole for children, acknowledging chances at rehabilitation.
Essentially, the plea deal gives the toughest sentence possible under Nevada law.
Ayala and Keys stole the car used in the crime via the “TikTok method” or “Kia boys,” a civil lawsuit alleges, which allows a person to steal the vehicle via the steering column, tools and a USB drive.
The day after the carjacking, officers located the vehicle abandoned.
Bluth also ordered the men to pay restitution to the Probst family. With credit for time served, both teenagers will be eligible for parole in the mid-2040s.
To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@8newsnow.com.