Judge orders life sentences for duo who hit and killed retired police chief on bike
When Andreas Probst’s wife and children talk about him, they speak of absences.
The weddings he will never attend, the grandchildren he will never hold, the calming figure who can no longer make them feel safe.
“My husband deserved to live,” his wife, Crystal Probst, told a judge Tuesday. “He deserved to golf again, to grow old, to watch his family thrive, to keep bringing light and kindness into the world. Instead, we’re left with memories, heartbreak and a void.”
District Judge Jacqueline Bluth ordered life sentences Tuesday for the pair of men who hit and killed Probst, a 66-year-old retired police chief, with a vehicle as teenagers.
Jesus Ayala, 20, received a sentence of 20 years to life.
Jzamir Keys, 18, was sentenced to 18 years to life.
Both pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in October. Their sentences were agreed upon by them and prosecutors.
The duo killed Probst as he was riding his bike near Centennial Parkway, then fled. The crash occurred Aug. 14, 2023.
Authorities have said Keys filmed a video of the teens laughing and planning to hit Probst, a retired police chief from Bell, California.
“There is no excuse for what you two have done and the damage and pain that you have caused,” Bluth told the defendants.
‘Callous and egregious’
Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani called the crime “one of the most callous and egregious acts” he had seen. Community outrage about it was justified, he said.
After court, Giordani said 18 years to life was the maximum penalty for second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Had the case gone to trial, the maximum penalty would have been 20 years to life because Ayala and Keys were juveniles at the time of the crime, he said.
As part of their plea agreements, both also admitted to a count of battery with a deadly weapon for injuring two other men with a vehicle. Ayala received an additional two- to 10-year sentence for the battery count.
Chief Deputy Public Defender David Westbrook, who represents Ayala, argued during the sentencing hearing that the killing of Probst was unintentional.
“At the time, they didn’t understand the gravity of what they were doing and didn’t understand what could result, even though it seems obvious to anybody,” he said.
Westbrook added that Ayala has expressed remorse and accepted his sentence, not wanting to put the victims through a trial.
Both he and his client have been targeted by death threats, said the attorney, adding that fabricated videos have increased rage surrounding the case.
Ayala and Keys opted not to make statements in court when the judge gave them the opportunity to do so.
Family remembers victim
Michael Probst, the victim’s son, said his father taught him honesty, perseverance, a good work ethic and humility.
He recalled family meals and going to the gun range and car shows with his dad.
“The moment I learned of his death, all I could do is scream and yell,” said Probst’s son. “I felt as if my heart was just ripped and torn into pieces.”
The victim’s daughter Taylor Probst said her father “had a very calming presence.” There are still days when she comes home and wishes he was there for her.
She has watched friends get married, with their fathers there for them.
“My dad will never get to experience that,” she said. “He’ll never have the opportunity to walk his little girl down the aisle and give her away. He’ll never have the opportunity to hold his first grandchildren. And that’s because it was stolen from him.”
Crystal Probst said her husband was her partner for over four decades and her “entire world.”
“They stole the future we earned, moment by moment and year by year,” she said of Ayala and Keys. “And they’ve left the silence that nothing can replace. The pain they caused does not fade; it grows.”
Every day since the murder, she said, “I wake up feeling like I am being asked to live a life I no longer recognize.”
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
