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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Clark County District Court judge on Tuesday sentenced two young men to lengthy prison terms for their roles in a deadly crime spree that killed a retired police chief.
Jesus Ayala, now 20, and Jzamir Keys, now 18, intentionally struck two bicyclists while driving in the northwest Las Vegas Valley in August 2023, authorities said. One of the victims, retired California police chief Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, died from his injuries. A second bicyclist, a man in his 70s, survived.
Both defendants were teenagers at the time. Police said Ayala, who was 17, was driving when he deliberately swerved the stolen vehicle into Probst. Keys, who was 16, was the passenger and recorded the incident on a cellphone, according to investigators. That video later became a central piece of evidence in the case.
Documents obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators show the video circulated among several Las Vegas-area high schools in the weeks following the killing. Police were not alerted to the video until a student reported it to a school resource officer in late August 2023, prompting investigators to determine the act was intentional.
In October, both Ayala and Keys pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and battery with use of a deadly weapon, court records show.
Under a negotiated plea agreement, Ayala received a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. Keys was sentenced to 18 years to life. Clark County District Court Judge Jacqueline Bluth imposed the agreed-upon sentences on Tuesday.
“This was so much more than a joyride,” Bluth said during the hearing. “It just kept going and going and escalating and escalating, and more people kept getting hurt.”
Ayala entered an Alford plea on the battery charge, meaning he did not admit guilt but acknowledged prosecutors had sufficient evidence for a conviction.
Neither defendant addressed the court during sentencing, other than stating they had nothing to say.
Because both men were juveniles at the time of the crimes, Nevada law requires they be eligible for parole after serving 20 years.
“They didn’t just kill Andy,” said Crystal Probst, the victim’s wife. “They filmed his murder and released it to the world.”
Nevada law was changed in 2015 through Assembly Bill 267, which retroactively granted parole eligibility after 20 years to offenders under 18 convicted of crimes resulting in death. The change followed U.S. Supreme Court rulings that eliminated life-without-parole sentences for juveniles, citing the potential for rehabilitation. Prosecutors said the plea deals represent the most severe sentences available under current law.
A civil lawsuit alleges Ayala and Keys stole the vehicle used in the crime using the so-called “TikTok method,” also known as the “Kia Boys” technique, which exploits vulnerabilities in certain vehicles’ steering columns. Police later located the abandoned car the day after the crime.
Judge Bluth also ordered both men to pay restitution to the Probst family. With credit for time already served, Ayala and Keys are expected to become eligible for parole in the mid-2040s.