Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of grandmother

A 30-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for killing his grandmother and burying her body in the Nye County desert.

Matthew Ayala was charged with murder in January 2021 after police found the body of his grandmother, Yolanda Ayala, buried in Amargosa Valley. In February, he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to first-degree murder.

The defendant entered what is known as an Alford plea, which means he admitted only that prosecutors had enough evidence to prove his guilt.

On Tuesday, District Judge Michelle Leavitt sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

Matthew Ayala had several outbursts in court during the hearing and told the judge that he was “ready to go to prison.” He has claimed that someone else broke into the apartment he shared with his grandmother and fatally shot her.

“I killed the man who did it,” he said.

Defense attorney Kathleen Hamers on Tuesday declined to comment on the case.

Matthew Ayala’s sister, Dacquri Ayala, told the judge that although she loves her brother, his actions have “destroyed” her family.

“I know if Grandma was here, she would forgive you, because that’s the kind of woman she was,” Dacquri Ayala said. “But seeing the way you hurt your family and your own mother is disgusting to me.”

Matthew Ayala was living with his grandmother, but she was “starting to get scared of him” and was planning to move in with his mother, prosecutors have said. On Jan. 2, 2021, Matthew Ayala drove to his mother’s house and said his grandmother had died in the apartment they shared.

But authorities found no record of the woman’s death or hospitalization.

Neighbors told police that around Dec. 31, 2020, they heard loud noises coming from the apartment and saw a man rolling a dolly with a large box out of the home. Using Matthew Ayala’s cellphone, police determined he drove out to the Nye County desert twice, once with a rented U-Haul truck.

Detectives found a shallow grave in the desert, with the grandmother’s body “placed inside two bins filled with Christmas ornaments,” prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said during a court hearing in February.

Yolanda Ayala’s body was found with a “close-range” gunshot wound to her head, and a shotgun found in the apartment also had Matthew Ayala’s DNA on it, prosecutors have said.

Karyssa Ayala, another of Yolanda Ayala’s grandchildren, asked for Matthew Ayala to be “locked away forever” during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing. She said her family would like to know why her grandmother was killed.

“We may never know the reasons, but all I want is justice for my grandma and the peace of mind of knowing that he’ll be gone and put away forever,” Karyssa Ayala said.

The judge also ordered Matthew Ayala to pay $5,000 in restitution.

As part of the plea deal, he must be separated from the general population in prison until a doctor finds that he does not require “acute mental health care,” court records show. If he is placed back in the general population, he would continue to be given treatment for his mental illness.

Due to the time Matthew Ayala already has served in custody, he could be eligible for parole in just over 18½ years.

Dacquri Ayala told the judge on Tuesday that she would fear for her life if Matthew Ayala were released from prison.

“I love him dearly, but I want the max for my brother, because I know he killed my grandmother,” she said.

Matthew Ayala interrupted his sister before he was reprimanded and warned that he would be removed from the courtroom if he kept talking.

“You guys know it’s stipulated right?” Matthew Ayala said. “I’m getting out in 18 years.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.