A 21-year-old motorcyclist admitted guilt on Wednesday for vehicular homicide in the case of the death of a Georgia state trooper during a car chase and received a 17-year prison sentence. Gerson Danilo Ayala-Rodriguez was initially facing a murder charge following the demise of Trooper Jimmy Censecar in January. Cenescar, 28, lost control of his cruiser on Interstate 85 in Suwanee, a northern Atlanta suburb, and collided with an embankment, resulting in his death.
According to reports, Cenescar was attempting to pull over Ayala-Rodriguez for a traffic offense, but the latter fled, leading to the trooper initiating a pursuit. Alongside vehicular homicide, Ayala-Rodriguez was found guilty of reckless driving, speeding, and multiple misdemeanor charges including driving without a license, driving without insurance, and operating an unregistered vehicle, as per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson expressed, “We tragically lost a young state trooper as a result of the defendant’s reckless driving.” Austin-Gatson continued by stating that the defendant acknowledged his actions, even though it cannot undo the loss of Trooper Cenescar. The hope is for this outcome to emphasize the importance of law-abiding driving for both motorists and motorcyclists.
Investigators reported that Ayala-Rodriguez attempted to evade Cenescar by maneuvering through two lanes of traffic on January 28, reaching a speed of 140 miles (225 km) per hour. Cenescar swerved to avoid other vehicles during the pursuit, ultimately driving off the roadway and crashing into trees and rocks along an embankment.
Trooper Cenescar had been serving the Department of Public Safety since January 2023, having completed trooper school in September of the same year. In October 2021, he was commended for rescuing a man who had driven off an Atlanta bridge, falling approximately 50 feet (15 meters) onto a train track.
