Teen found guilty in North Las Vegas ‘revenge killing’ case

A jury returned a guilty verdict Friday for a teen accused of killing another teenager as payback for a robbery.

Gabriel Ayala was 15 when a judge ruled in 2023 that he would be tried as an adult. He faced a count of murder with use of a deadly weapon in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Eddwin Ramos-Figueroa that year on the 2600 block of Donna Street in North Las Vegas.

The jury found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon.

Prosecutor Michael Allmon said Ayala lived with Jesus Ayala, one of the teens accused of killing a retired police chief in a 2023 hit-and-run crash. Authorities believe the two Ayalas are brothers, but do not know for sure, he said.

Gabriel Ayala had been robbed, grabbed a gun and found Ramos-Figueroa, one of the people who committed the robbery, he said.

“He chased him down and shot him multiple times, to the point where the victim was lying in the middle of the street and begging for his life and he shot him seven times,” Allmon said.

The defense argued Ayala acted in self-defense, or that the robbery “negated the malice aforethought” element, according to the prosecutor.

Defense attorney Matthew Stromenger did not comment after court.

Prosecutors had wanted a first-degree murder conviction, according to Allmon, who said the verdict came after a five-day trial and about four hours of jury deliberations.

Allmon asked for Ayala to be taken into custody after a court clerk read the verdict. “It was a revenge killing” and Ayala poses a danger to the community, he said.

Stromenger said his client had been out of custody for over two years with no issues that he could recall.

District Judge Carli Kierny allowed Ayala to remain on house arrest.

His sentencing is set for Nov. 18.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.