2 men, cousins, accused in brutal 2024 murder of U.S. Marine in L.A. County

[mahatmakanejeeves]

LOCAL NEWS
2 men, cousins, accused in brutal 2024 murder of U.S. Marine in L.A. County

by: Josh DuBose
Posted: Jun 12, 2025 / 06:01 PM PDT
Updated: Jun 12, 2025 / 06:02 PM PDT

Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with the brutal 2024 murder of a 42-year-old active-duty United States Marine in Los Angeles County, officials announced. … The violence, according to a news release from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, occurred around 2 a.m. on May 28, 2024, outside of a bar in Bellflower.

Prosecutors allege that 21-year-old Long Beach resident Damari Kensey and 28-year-old Inglewood resident Jaymel Williams, who are cousins, followed Peter Chounthala out of the bar and violently beat him, leaving him seriously injured in the middle of Artesia Boulevard, near Virginia Avenue where he was then struck by a motorist who failed to stop, identify themselves or render aid. … The driver who hit the 42-year-old has not been identified, authorities noted.

Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, along with paramedics with the L.A. County Fire Department arrived at the location and declared Chounthala, a husband and father of a 3-year-old boy, dead at the scene.

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“Investigators believe that Mr. Chounthala was an innocent victim of these senseless acts of violence,” LASD Lt. Patricia Thomas said at the time.

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[chowder66]

1. Jesus. That poor man and his family.