Las Vegas man to serve 90 days in jail for hate crime attack on Filipino neighbor

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas man who attacked his elderly Filipino neighbor has been sentenced to serve 90 days in jail after pleading guilty but mentally ill to hate crime charges.

After his jail time is served, Judge Jennifer Schwartz ordered Christian Lentz to serve five years of probation and participate in mental health court. If he violates those terms, he could face 12 to 30 years in prison, Schwartz ruled.

VIDEO | Quindara family speaks out after sentencing of Las Vegas man who attacked elderly Filipino neighbor

"Starting today, you're doing 90 days, sir," Judge Schwartz told Lentz during the sentencing.

The victim's family watched as Lentz was handcuffed in front of them and ordered to start his jail time immediately. For the first time since the attack, the Quindara family saw the man who hurt their father taken away and held accountable.

"It was good to see Christian Lentz in handcuffs and go to jail. I think visually that helped us — helped me — sort of move on from this," Phil Quindara said.

Then-75-year-old Amadeo Quindara says he was sitting in his garage in Mountains Edge on May 30, 2023, when Lentz, his neighbor, violently attacked him.

WATCH | Abel Garcia spoke to family and friends of Amadeo Quindara as they awaited the sentencing:

Quindara was knocked unconscious during the beating, which left him with a brain bleed, memory loss and other permanent injuries, the Quindara family tells Channel 13.

This is a story we've followed since the very beginning, when the Quindara family first reached out to Channel 13. They showed us surveillance footage that captured the moment Lentz approached the Quindaras' garage before the attack.

Just one day before the assault, Quindara said Lentz had told him and his friends to speak English when he overheard them speaking in Tagalog. The family says the attack that followed was motivated by racial hate — something Lentz's defense blamed in part on a psychotic breakdown due to bipolar disorder.

Lentz's attorney tells me this case underscores a much bigger issue — the way mental health is handled in our system.

"[Lentz] may not have a memory of what he did, but that does not mean he did not commit these very heinous acts in May of 2023," Judge Schwartz said.

Before the sentencing, a rally was held outside the courthouse. About two dozen people attended, including members from several AANHPI organizations, all there to show their support for the Quindara family.

"We are satisfied with the decision to sentence Christian Lentz to 90 days in jail and probation. Today is a step forward. It's time to begin healing," Phil Quindara said.

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