Las Vegas teens accused of killing ex-California police chief laugh in courtroom
Two Las Vegas teens facing murder charges in connection with the death of a bicyclist appeared in court this week as a judge set their trial date.
A grand jury indicted Jesus Ayala, 18, and Jzamir Keys, 16, on Tuesday morning. The two are accused of stealing at least three cars, burglarizing a home, hitting another car on the road, and striking two bicyclists in separate incidents during an hours-long crime spree in August.
A 72-year-old man survived the first hit-and-run. The other man — retired Bell, California police chief Andreas Probst, 64 — did not survive.
In court on Tuesday, Ayala and Keys appeared to smile at the widow and daughter of Probst.
“They started trying to intimidate us, mad-dog us,” Taylor Probst, the victim’s daughter, said. “These guys, they did not respect the court whatsoever.”
Andreas Probst was struck and killed in an intentional hit-and-run crash, police said. (KLAS) Still image from a viral video taken of the intentional hit-and-run of 64-year-old Andreas Probst, a retired City of Bell Police Chief in Las Vegas. Two teens have been charged with murder in connection with the incident. (LVMPD) Retired police chief for the city of Bell, Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, seen here, was killed in an intentional hit-and-run in Las Vegas on Aug. 14, 2023. (Probst Family)
The teens also appeared to communicate with each other and, at times, cover their faces. Video from inside the courtroom appears to show them laughing at one point.
On Monday, Nexstar’s KLAS obtained additional evidence at the center of the case that included body-camera video in the moments after Ayala was taken into custody.
“It’s just a [expletive] hit and run, slap on the wrist,” Ayala is heard telling a Las Vegas Metro police officer.
Taylor Probst said she believed the evidence would help in the prosecution of the teens.
“It shows that they really have no remorse, that this is just a game to them. Like they don’t, they really don’t care if anyone else lives or dies,” she said. “They don’t care about themselves if they live or die.”
She also said she believed that the teens’ parents were to blame.
“A multitude of different people failed, but I think ultimately the parents, they’re the ones who failed,” she said.
Andreas Probst’s widow, Crystal Probst, plans to continue to attend the teens’ court appearances with Taylor Probst to seek justice and to also put a face on a victim of the teens’ alleged crimes. Crystal Probst is also wearing her late husband’s Apple watch to court — the same watch he was wearing when he was struck in August.
“Keeping him close reminds me he’s here with me in the courthouse, you know, to fight for him,” Crystal Probst said.
Both of the accused teens, who were minors at the time of the crash, are being tried in the adult court system. A district judge has set their trial date for Sept. 16, 2024.
Taylor Probst told reporters she wants the teens to receive the death penalty. However, that is not possible as they were juveniles at the time of the alleged crime spree.
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