‘Our justice system is a joke’: Las Vegas teen sentenced for killing 10-year-old in DUI crash

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A 17-year-old will spend three to 20 years in prison for driving intoxicated when he killed a 10-year-old boy who was a passenger in another vehicle.

Henrry Norberto initially pleaded guilty on Feb. 3 to driving a motor vehicle while under the influence, resulting in death or substantial bodily harm.

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According to court documents, the prison sentence agreed upon between the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and Norberto’s defense attorney was three to 15 years. But Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus instead sentenced him on Monday to three to 20 years in prison.

“Kids going to prison is bad. Kids going to the cemetery is worse,” Holthus said.

The prison sentence, however, wasn’t enough for Brandon Martinez’s parents, who wanted at least 10 years.

“Every day we got to wake up with the heartache that Brandon is no longer with us, and that we didn’t get the justice that he deserves,” Brandon’s mother, Amy Davila, said after Norberto was sentenced. “Our justice system is a joke.”

Norberto was 16 at the time of the crash. Martinez died on June 28, 2025, near the Interstate 15 corridor and the Las Vegas Speedway.

10-year-old killed in wrong-way crash near Las Vegas Speedway

Nevada State Police said Norberto was driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck south on northbound lanes when he crashed into a Chevrolet pickup truck. Brandon’s father was driving the Chevy, and Brandon was sitting in the passenger seat.

Norberto was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol when he was driving on the wrong side of the highway, according to Clark County prosecutors.

Davila expressed frustration and disappointment with the judges and prosecutors in her son’s case.

“These are the people who are supposed to be protecting our families, who are supposed to be protecting our kids,” Davila said.

Norberto will receive 262 days of credit for the time he’s already served in the Clark County Detention Center, which means he could be released in two years for killing Brandon.

“We have to relive this nightmare every single day. We don’t have our son. My youngest Christian doesn’t have his brother, so our family is just incomplete,” Davila said.

Throughout Norberto’s court appearance, Davila held a framed photo of her son Brandon. His father cried in court as Norberto apologized.

“I hope I can be forgiven by the family and everybody else that I affected. I know an apology won’t change anything,” Norberto said.

Norberto will also have to pay Martinez’s family about $16,000 in restitution. Davila said people should pay more attention to who they vote for as judges and Clark County District Attorney.

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