Gustavo Elias faces second-degree murder charges after allegedly ramming his Chevrolet Tahoe into Dezjon Hamilton's motorcycle in Chandler, Arizona, killing the 21-year-old expectant father. Police say the incident stemmed from a confrontation over engine revving, with two children in Elias's vehicle. Hamilton was declared brain dead and taken off life support over the weekend.
The crash occurred on Ray Road in Chandler, where Gustavo Elias, 29, is accused of intentionally striking Dezjon Hamilton's motorcycle with his white Chevrolet Tahoe. According to a probable cause affidavit, the confrontation began at Arizona and Ray roads when Hamilton allegedly revved his engine excessively in front of Elias's SUV. Elias told investigators, through a Spanish translator, that this was not the first incident, citing a prior taunting at a Walmart parking lot. The two men live in the same apartment complex and had clashed multiple times before, Elias said, adding that Hamilton would rev his engine loudly and speed through the parking lot there. Elias admitted consuming 12 Corona beers and ingesting cocaine prior to the event. Two children—Elias's stepson and his friend's juvenile—were passengers in the Tahoe. After waiting at their apartment complex's security gate, both vehicles turned left onto westbound Ray Road and stopped at a red light at Arizona Avenue. There, Hamilton reportedly reversed his bike and revved the engine again. As they proceeded west, Elias overtook the motorcycle. At Hartford Street, the bike pulled alongside the passenger side and struck the Tahoe, possibly breaking the rearview mirror, the affidavit states. Witnesses saw both speeding, with Elias accelerating to catch up. He then changed lanes to the left of the motorcycle before turning right into it, the children reported. The affidavit concludes Elias did this intentionally, knowing the speed and his vehicle's weight could cause serious harm, despite the children aboard. A breath test showed Elias's blood alcohol content at 0.158, nearly twice Arizona's legal limit of 0.08. He is a Mexican citizen held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. Hamilton suffered a catastrophic cervical injury, was placed on a ventilator, and declared brain dead. His family removed life support after doctors said he would not wake up. Hamilton's pregnant girlfriend now faces raising their child without him, per a GoFundMe for the family. At the scene, Elias told a shouting man, 'I know this is my fault.'