Drunk Las Vegas Motorist Who Killed State Troopers Sentenced to at Least 16 Years

Posted on: June 11, 2024, 10:53h. 

Last updated on: June 12, 2024, 10:04h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

The intoxicated man who plowed his car into two Nevada state troopers on a Las Vegas highway in November will be spending at least 16 years behind bars.

Jemarcus Williams
Jemarcus Williams, pictured in a courtroom, was sentenced in connection with the deaths of two state troopers. (Image: Las Vegas Sun)

Jemarcus Williams, 46, was sentenced Tuesday to between 16 and 40 years for the deadly crash. He will be eligible for parole after serving 16 years in prison.

Williams was granted credit for 195 days he already spent in jail.

In April, Williams pleaded guilty before Clark County District Court Judge Susan Johnson to two counts of DUI resulting in death.

Night of Drinks

On Nov. 29, 2023, Williams began drinking at the Westgate sportsbook, got more alcohol at a gas station, and consumed even more drinks at the Palms Casino Resort.

He was at the casino’s Ghost Bar with another man that night where the two shared a bottle of Hennessy and vodkas.

Casino security guards forced Williams to leave the bar. He was warned about driving but he hid behind a tree and, despite the warning, entered his car and drove away.

The November 30 crash on I-15 at the D Street offramp led to the deaths of Trooper Alberto Felix and Sergeant Michael Abbate. Both officers were standing on the highway when they were struck.

One trooper died at the crash site. The other was declared dead at University Medical Center.

Williams fled from the accident site, but officers later apprehended him.

A blood alcohol test showed Williams at 0.19 after the crash. Nevada’s limit is 0.08. Williams was initially charged with two counts each of reckless driving resulting in death, driving under the influence resulting in death, and duty to stop at the scene of an accident involving death.

The counts were changed as a result of the plea bargain.

Under the sentence, Williams will pay Felix’s family $7,674 for funeral expenses. Abbate’s relatives didn’t seek reimbursement.

Relatives Traumatized

Felix’s daughter, Alyssa Belle Yabut, told the judge she viewed her father “in a state I wouldn’t want no one to ever experience,” according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

Not even the tallest tower can reach him and no amount of money can bring him back,” Yabut added.

Vanessa Abbate, Michael Abbate’s widow, told the judge about the trauma she now faces.

“To, almost daily, have our three-year-old son, Vince, cry to me that he wants his daddy to come home, down from heaven to play with him for real, and to have to remind him that, ‘Daddy can’t. He can only visit you in your dreams,’ is gut-wrenching for us both,” she said.

As a widow, I now experience panic attacks, shower screams, crippling anxiety, crying on the floor, the list goes on.”

Williams apologized to the victims’ relatives.

“It was an irresponsible and senseless act that I’m so sorry for, and my heart and prayers go out to both your families,” Williams said in the crowded courtroom on Tuesday.