‘You took away my dreams’: Victim testifies in Las Vegas hate crime attack

Amadeo Quindara has been an American citizen since before the man who committed a hate crime attack against him was born, he said in a Las Vegas courtroom Monday.

His father fought against Japan during World War II and was rewarded with United States citizenship. Quindara achieved the American Dream, he told District Judge Jennifer Schwartz.

But “you took away my dreams,” he said to Christian Lentz. “You took away my freedom. You took away the things that I earned in my life, because you didn’t like the way I look.”

Lentz pleaded guilty but mentally ill on April 21 to residential burglary motivated by bias or hatred toward the victim and abuse of an older person with death or substantial harm motivated by bias or hatred.

Quindara, Lentz’s Filipino-American neighbor, was relaxing in his garage on May 30, 2023, when Lentz approached and “told him that he should be on a ventilator,” then returned, attacked Quindara and said, “Die, die, die,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Colleen Baharav. Quindara was 75 years old at the time. Lentz was 44.

Lentz was supposed to be sentenced Monday, but because of an issue with documentation for the restitution amount requested, he will have to wait two weeks to learn his punishment.

The years following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic saw high numbers of anti-Asian hate crimes, Baharav said in court Monday: over 700 in 2021, over 400 in 2022 and 400 in 2023. She asked for a sentence of four to 10 years.

Quindara’s wife found him on the floor covered in blood, according to Baharav. Quindara suffered a head laceration, a black eye, and memory loss, she said, and still feels pain.

“You were almost successful in killing me,” said Quindara to Lentz. “You wanted to kill me.”

The day before the attack, Lentz told Quindara and his wife to speak English after hearing the couple talking in Tagalog with their Filipino neighbors, Quindara previously said in an interview.

Lentz apologized to the victim and the community. “Mr. Quindara never deserved this,” he said. “He’s a sweet, kind person.”

Despite his plea, Lentz denied that his actions were “fueled out of hate.”

His defense attorney, Mandy McKellar, said Lentz takes full responsibility, but was “acutely psychotic” at the time of the assault and cannot remember committing it.

Police had Lentz hospitalized for psychiatric treatment when he was found smearing meat on the windshields of cars on May 29, the day before the assault, she said, but he was released on May 30 for reasons that are unclear.

She requested probation with a mental health court component.

“We’re saying, ‘Let him go into a system that is designed for him to get well,’” she said. Lentz was previously attacked in jail, she said, and suffered his own head injury. She said her client has also received online threats.

Quindara’s family told Schwartz that Lentz’s actions had a profound impact on them.

Leonida Quindara, the victim’s wife, said her husband’s health has declined.

“The man who was once strong for our family now needs constant support,” she said. Lentz stole her family’s “trust in the world around us,” she added.

”My dad is not the same person he was before,” said the victim’s son, Phillip Quindara. “He was once an active, joyful, engaged man. He loved hiking, biking, golfing and taking long walks around the neighborhood with his dogs. His life was full of kindness. He no longer leaves the house without fear. He no longer enjoys the simple activities that brought him so much joy. And we as a family no longer feel safe.”

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