Current:Home > StocksMotorcyclist pleads guilty to vehicular homicide and gets 17 years for Georgia state trooper’s death -Balance Wealth Academy
Motorcyclist pleads guilty to vehicular homicide and gets 17 years for Georgia state trooper’s death
View
Date:2025-04-14 03:19:09
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A motorcyclist pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide in the death of a Georgia state trooper during a car chase, and was sentenced to 17 years in prison, news outlets reported.
Gerson Danilo Ayala-Rodriguez, 21, was facing a murder charge in the death of Trooper Jimmy Censecar in January. Cenescar, 28, died after he lost control of his cruiser on Interstate 85 and struck an embankment in the north Atlanta suburb of Suwanee.
Authorities say Cenescar was trying to stop Ayala-Rodriguez for a traffic violation before he fled, prompting the trooper to give chase.
In addition to vehicular homicide, Ayala-Rodriguez was convicted of misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, speeding, two counts each of driving without a license, operating a vehicle without insurance and operating an unregistered vehicle, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
“We tragically lost a young state trooper as a result of the defendant’s reckless driving,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “Ultimately, the defendant accepted responsibility for his actions in this, although it cannot bring back Trooper Cenescar. We hope this serves as a message to drivers and motorcyclists to drive within the safe bounds of the law.”
Investigators say Ayala-Rodriguez drove through two lanes of traffic in an attempt to flea Cenescar on Jan. 28, reaching a speed of 140 miles (225km) per hour.
Cenescar swerved to evade other cars during the chase. He veered off the roadway down an embankment, where his vehicle crashed into trees and drainage rocks.
Cenescar had worked for the Department of Public Safety since January 2023 and had graduated from trooper school in September. In October 2021, he was credited with saving a man’s life after the man drove off an Atlanta bridge, falling onto a train track about 50 feet (15 meters) below.
veryGood! (9969)
Related
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Monument erected in Tulsa for victims of 1921 Race Massacre
- DWTS' Gleb Savchenko Shares Why He Ended Brooks Nader Romance Through Text Message
- NCT DREAM enters the 'DREAMSCAPE': Members on new album, its concept and songwriting
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Subway rider who helped restrain man in NYC chokehold death says he wanted ex-Marine to ‘let go’
- Watch: Military dad's emotional return after a year away
- Kentucky gets early signature win at Champions Classic against Duke | Opinion
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Why Officials Believe a Missing Kayaker Faked His Own Death and Ran Off to Europe
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Amtrak service disrupted after fire near tracks in New York City
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- Kentucky officer reprimanded for firing non-lethal rounds in 2020 protests under investigation again
Recommendation
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South
Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to watch the fight, time, odds
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills. Here's what experts have to say.
Kentucky officer reprimanded for firing non-lethal rounds in 2020 protests under investigation again
GM recalling big pickups and SUVs because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing risk of a crash