Long Beach Man Charged In Beating Of Marine Left For Dead On Road: LADA

LONG BEACH, CA — A Long Beach man and his cousin have been charged with murder for "violently" beating a Marine outside a Bellflower Bar and leaving him for dead in the middle of a street, authorities said.

Long Beach resident Damari Kensey, 21, and his cousin, Inglewood resident Jaymel Williams, 28, each face one count of murder in connection with the death of active-duty U.S. Marine Peter Chounthala, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

They face life in prison if convicted of the crime, according to the DA's office.

“This brutal and senseless act took the life of a husband, father and Marine who served our country with honor, including tours in Afghanistan and multiple Marine expeditionary units,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement last week. “We will not tolerate this violence in our communities."

Prosecutors say Chounthala was leaving a bar in Bellflower during the early hours of May 28, 2024, when Kensey and Williams followed him outside and assaulted him.

The assault left the Marine lying in the middle of Artesia Boulevard, where a car then struck him, according to prosecutors. The driver has yet to be identified to this day.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement last year that Chounthala was found on the street with severe trauma to his upper torso. He died at the scene, authorities said.

Chounthala, a native of Philadelphia who had joined the Marines in 2008, was a wounded warrior and recovering service Marine after serving tours in Afghanistan and multiple Marine expeditionary units, according to a report from ABC News.