Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here: He Used a Chainsaw’ provides the viewers with a detailed account of the Jonathan Lestelle murder case that sent shockwaves throughout the entire community in November 2008. At the time of his murder, he was in a loving relationship with Angelique and together, they were about to give birth to a child. Unfortunately, their dreams of having a life together were halted. The episode also includes interviews with Jonathan’s loved ones and experts working directly or indirectly on the case.
Jonathan Lestelle Was Shot to Death in His Apartment
Jonathon Scott Lestelle was brought into the world by Mark (Robyn) Lestelle and Kim Lestelle-Brown on March 22, 1982. The native Las Vegan was accompanied by four sisters Autumn, Amanda, Marissa, and Kristal while growing up in the seemingly loving household. With kindness in his heart, he was also described as an intelligent man who had the abilities of an artist. He loved to watch horror movies and make others watch them with him, and unsurprisingly, Halloween was his favorite time of the year.
A gentleman to his core, Jonathan loved helping his friends. Wanting to put his drawing skills to good use, he wanted to become a licensed tattoo artist. At the time of his demise, he had a loving partner in Angelique and was a devoted father to 3-year-old Trenton Lestelle. With so many things to look forward to, his ambitions in life came to a halt on November 3, 2008. Around 1:10 am, the security guard posted in the apartment complex at the time had heard some suspicious noise and came across a rather suspicious man dressed in black armed with an assault-type rifle. When the man pointed the gun at the guard, the latter ran for cover and dialed 911 immediately.
The gunman stood in front of Jonathan’s apartment and fired various rounds into the room through a hole in the door he made with a chainsaw. When the police arrived at the crime scene, they discovered the 26-year-old man’s lifeless body in the bedroom of the Fountains of Villa Cordova Apartments at 2800 Eastern Avenue in Las Vegas, Nevada. His girlfriend Angelique was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center as she was also shot several times and was in critical condition. Moreover, the 18-week-old fetus inside Angelique was also struck by a bullet and died. Fortunately, Jonathan’s son Trenton was at a relative’s place at the time.
Jonathan’s Girlfriend’s Estranged Husband Killed Him
As the investigators delved deeper into the case, they were told by Angelique that she had separated from her husband William Keck, and was dating Jonathan Lestelle. Just sometime prior to the shooting tragedy, William had threatened to shoot her in the stomach and murder the unborn child, as per Angelique’s claims. At the time, the primary suspect shared an apartment with his brother in the Eastern Valley, where the authorities arrested him and charged him with murder with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, manslaughter of an “unborn quick child,” and battery with a deadly weapon resulting in bodily harm.
Upon the arrest, William claimed that he had been taking multiple medications and could not recall being at Jonathan’s apartment complex at all. He also admitted that he was “deeply in love” with his wife but he dated other women after the separation. When the detectives conducted a search of William’s property and belongings under a search warrant, they discovered an incriminating piece of evidence in the form of an empty box of rifle bullets in his apartment. The authorities also found out that he had already been indicted earlier that year in Arizona on assault and robbery charges.
In an attempt to clear some misconceptions and assumptions of the general public about her relationship with Jonathan Lestelle, she opened up about it during a conversation with Las Vegas Sun. She said, “I hate the idea of people portraying it as if we were adulterers. That wasn’t the case. We were long since broken up with our spouses and were working towards trying to get married ourselves. We were pregnant, and the baby wasn’t an accident by any means. That baby was planned; that baby was very much wanted. I can’t stomach the idea of people thinking that we were lying or anything like that.”
William Keck Received the Death Sentence
About four years after Jonathan Lestelle’s murder in November 2008, William Keck stood trial for the same in 2012. In July, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted him of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter-killing of an unborn quick child. A week or so later, he received the death sentence for the same on July 12, 2012. On top of the death sentence, the judge also gave the convict an additional 30 to 95 years in prison for a few other convictions against him.
During his sentencing, William expressed his regret for what he did and addressed the court. He apologized, “It’s hard to express my remorse for what happened, and my main address now is for Angel to know I didn’t want this to happen. I hope she knows truly that it’s fully beyond anything I wanted to happen. I failed you as a husband and I couldn’t protect you and I couldn’t make you happy. I’ll always love you. I hope every day you find happiness.” Therefore, today, at the age of 41, he’s on death row at the maximum-security Ely State Prison in unincorporated White Pine County, Nevada.
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