A Clark County judge on Wednesday sentenced 22-year-old Alonzo "AJ" Brown to 56 years to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing three men in separate shootings across east Las Vegas in 2022. The victims, identified as Tevin Alhashemi, Paul Viana and Josue Chaparro-Montalvo, were shot between January and June of that year, and their families told the court the violence has permanently reshaped their lives. Brown was 18 at the time of the first killing and spent months in competency proceedings before ultimately entering his guilty plea.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Brown pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and received a 56-years-to-life term. Prosecutors tied him to attacks that occurred between Jan. 18 and June 23, 2022, and a sentencing memo from his defense team described him as struggling with delusions and paranoia. During emotional statements in court, victims' relatives talked about birthdays, holidays and everyday routines that will never be the same.
Prosecutors told the court they had surveillance and other evidence tying Brown to the attacks, and Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo said investigators believe Brown "stalked" at least two of the victims before opening fire, according to KLAS. Brown briefly addressed the court, offering condolences to the families of the men he killed, while his lawyers pushed for a much shorter sentence. KLAS reported that, with credit for time served, Brown will be eligible for parole in 2078.
How police linked Brown to the killings
Detectives leaned heavily on video and physical evidence to connect Brown to the three homicides, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. At one scene, officers recovered a puffy jacket and white gloves. They later matched a pair of black jeans to Brown, and when he was arrested days after the June killing, he was carrying two guns, one of which prosecutors say matched the weapon used in the shootings. Investigators also pulled body-camera footage from a 2021 hit-and-run that showed clothing similar to items found near the homicide scenes.
Competency fight and the defense's plea
According to KLAS, Brown's case spent roughly a year in the competency court system while experts evaluated whether he could stand trial. Once he was ruled competent and the case returned to district court, Brown took the plea deal. His attorneys pointed out that he was a teenager at the time of the first killing, had no prior convictions, and argued that the court should consider the possibility of rehabilitation along with punishment.
Legal notes
Under a deal that took the death penalty and life without the possibility of parole off the table, Brown pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder. Judge Michelle Leavitt then imposed the 56-years-to-life term that prosecutors said would likely keep him behind bars for decades. Family members who spoke at the hearing stressed that no sentence can make them whole, and court records show Brown will not even be eligible for parole until many years from now.
