A then-18-year-old who authorities called a “serial killer” after a murder spree will spend at least 56 years in prison, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Alonzo “AJ” Brown, now 22, killed Tevin Alhashemi, 26, Paul Viana, 62, and Josue Chaparro-Montalvo, 36, in separate shootings between January and June 2022.
Related posts
Clark County prosecutors initially planned to seek the death sentence if a jury convicted Brown for the murders, but late last year, Brown accepted a plea agreement in which both death and life without parole were dropped.
On Wednesday, Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt sentenced Brown to 56 years to life in prison, which means he will be in his mid-70s when he is eligible for parole.
“First, I’d like to express my condolences to the family,” Brown stated in court before Leavitt sentenced him. “It’s not an easy time for my family and for the trials and tribulations you’re all going through, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for y’all.”
On January 18, 2022, Brown murdered Alhashemi outside an East Valley apartment complex. Brown and Alhashemi knew each other and had a past altercation over a stolen gun, according to authorities.
Prosecutors said Viana’s and Chaparro-Montalvo’s murders were random and that Brown “stalked” his victims.
“He just decided he was going to become a serial killer,” Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo stated.
Brown murdered Viana at an East Valley bus stop on May 4, 2022. On June 23, 2022, Brown murdered Chaparro-Montalvo. At the time, witnesses reported seeing a man, later identified as Brown, sprinting through the neighborhood. During their investigation, Metro Police investigators discovered a puffy jacket and white gloves nearby. Officers also discovered a pair of black jeans that Brown owned.
Brown lived very close to both the May and June homicide locations, according to court filings. It was less than 300 feet long and located near Tropicana Avenue and Nellis Boulevard, according to police.
Police later reviewed body camera footage from a 2021 hit-and-run collision involving Brown at the Whitney Library, they said. Brown was seen wearing clothing similar to those found after the homicides, according to police body camera footage.
“He literally stalks the victim while he is waiting for a bus—and then just walks up to a stranger and executes him,” DiGiacomo said of the May and June shootings.
Brown faced two murder charges when he was arrested in late June 2022. Metro police eventually linked him to Alhashemi’s death.
Brown disputed the claims during a jail interview with 8 News Now investigators last October.
“A normal, sane 18-year-old kid is not going to go ahead and wake up and go on a killing spree,” Brown stated. “I’m certainly not an accused serial killer. I’m just a 19-year-old man trying to sort out his life.”
Alhasemi’s, Chaparro-Montalvo’s, and Viana’s families all spoke at the sentence, telling Leavitt that no amount of time will bring their loved one back.
Andrew Viana, Paul Viana’s son, informed Leavitt that the murder occurred on the night of his birthday.
“Now every year, come my birthday, it’s no longer my birthday; it’s the anniversary of my father’s death, and I will have that forever,” he replied.
Brown’s attorneys requested that Leavitt sentence their client to 25 years to life in prison, noting that he was a rehabilitation prospect. The case was first postponed because of a competency determination.
Brown will be eligible for release in 2078, having received credit for time spent while awaiting punishment. He’ll be in his mid-70s.
