Two men who admitted to killing a retired police chief in Las Vegas during a crime spree are now facing lengthy prison sentences. Jesus Ayala, 20, and Jzamir Keys, 18, appeared in Clark County District Court, Nevada, on Tuesday, where they were sentenced after pleading guilty to the murder of Andreas Probst, a 64-year-old former police chief from California.

Ayala, in exchange for his guilty plea, received a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison. Keys, under a similar plea agreement, was handed an 18-year-to-life sentence.

Although the crime was committed when both Ayala and Keys were minors, they were tried as adults. However, Nevada law prohibits them from being sentenced to death.

The incident was captured in a disturbing video, showing a vehicle’s dashboard camera approaching Probst from behind as he cycled near the curb on an otherwise empty street.

Graphic video shows a dashboard view from the front seat of a vehicle approaching Probst from behind as he rode near the curb on an otherwise traffic-free road. 

A final image from the moving car shows the retired top cop on the ground beside the curb. 

The crash was initially deemed a hit-and-run, but they later added murder charges by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police after the video went viral. 

Ayala was identified as the driver of the 2016 Hyundai Elantra, and Keys was the passenger who filmed the horrific crime on August 14, 2023. 

‘At the time they didn’t understand the gravity of what they were doing, and they didn’t understand what could result even though it seems obvious to everybody,’ said David Westbrook, attorney for Ayala, according to News 3 LV.

Retired police officer Andreas Probst (pictured left) was killed in August 2023 when two teenagers mowed him down in a stolen Hyundai as he was cycling on an empty road in Las Vegas

The pair would be eligible for parole after 20 years because they committed the crime as minors 

Crystal Probst, the widow of the chief, spoke of the significant loss the pair caused after the death of her husband. 

‘My world was destroyed,’ she said.  

‘Not damaged. Not shaken. Destroyed and every single day since Andy was murdered, I wake up feeling like I’m asked to live a life I no longer recognize.’  

The Probst family said they were informed of the plea deal and stand by their decision to accept it, according to the outlet.

‘Choosing peace over prolonged suffering is not weakness, it is strength. We refuse to give them the power to reopen these wounds,’ Crystal added.

According to investigators, the duo’s deadly crime spree began early that tragic morning when the teenagers went on a spree involving the theft of four cars and using them to hit and strike another 72-year-old bicyclist, who survived.

‘This was so much more than a joyride,’ Judge Bluth said. ‘It just kept going and going and escalating with more people getting hurt.’

Probst, 64, was was fatally struck on August 14 while cycling in northwest Las Vegas. Footage filmed by the passenger shows he was intentionally killed by the teenage driver 

Laughter and goading comments are heard from inside the car before Probst was struck and thrown against the windshield. A final image from the moving car shows the retired top cop on the ground beside the curb

Ayala was arrested in August 2023, allegedly taunting officers as he was taken into custody. He told police that because he was a juvenile, he’d be ‘out in 30 days… It’s just a hit-and-run – slap on the wrist.’

Ayala and Keys were later charged with murder, attempted murder, failing to stop at the scene of a crash, battery, residential burglary, grand larceny of a vehicle, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

But the case stalled for months after Ayala was found incompetent to stand trial in October last year. He was moved from prison to a maximum security psychiatric facility in Las Vegas to undergo competency testing.

However, a judge found him competent to stand trial.

Ayala is facing a separate attempted murder charge for a separate alleged crime, accused of stabbing a man in the face on June 27, 2023. 

The victim in that case came forward and identified Ayala in a photo lineup after his arrest for the fatal attack on Probst.

Probst was a retired former police chief who was on a recreational bike ride when he was struck from behind and left on the side of the road to die 

The deceased man’s family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Hyundai.

The family claims a defect in the 2016 Hyundai Elantra’s anti-theft system enabled Ayala and Keys to steal the car used in the attack.

Probst’s wife, Crystal, and two children, Michael and Taylor, have also filed a wrongful death suit against the teens.