GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The man charged in in the high-speed chase that led to the death of a Georgia State Patrol trooper earlier this year pleaded guilty Wednesday and will spend 17 years in prison.
Gerson Ayala Rodriguez, 21, pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree homicide as well as misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, speeding, two counts of driving without a license, operating a vehicle without insurance and operating an unregistered vehicle.
His original charges had included felony murder.
On the night of January 28, Trooper Cenescar tried to initially pull over Ayala-Rodriguez, traveling on a motorcycle. Ayala-Rodriguez fled, and the chase reportedly reached speeds of up to 140 mph.
According to a crash report, Cenescar died after maneuvering to avoid putting other drivers in danger when the motorcycle "split" two lanes to get away.
According to the report, as the motorcycle was directly ahead of the chasing trooper, it suddenly took the dangerous "split maneuver."
Trooper Cenescar initially attempted to continue the pursuit; the report notes, "However, both lanes were occupied by motorists traveling north." Cenescar "took evasive actions to avoid these vehicles" and "lost control and began rotating clockwise traveling towards the east shoulder." At that point, the trooper veered off the roadway, eventually going down an embankment and hitting trees and drainage rocks.
According to the district attorney, shortly after the crash, the suspect allegedly destroyed the license plate on his motorcycle during the chase.
The trooper's death came with an outpour of condolences, including from Gov. Brian Kemp. His funeral was in February, and Gov. Kemp attended and spoke about Cenescar.
Kemp described him as a "young public safety officer" with "years of experiences and opportunities that lay ahead and a career dedicated to protecting others." The governor also said that Cenescar left behind a loving family and a fiancée.
“The important thing to remember is that this defendant’s reckless behavior led to the tragic death of Trooper Jimmy Cenescar,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said when Ayala-Rodriguez was indicted. “This was inexcusable, and we intend to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”