Women sentenced for robbery, car crash that killed Las Vegas veteran

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Two women have been sentenced for crashing into and killing a World War II veteran before being arrested by police officers.

On March 1, 2023, a police report states Kassandra Alvarez and Lorraine Alvarado went into Hibbett Sports, near Sahara and Decatur. After stealing clothes from the store, they took off in a stolen vehicle, which was caught by a license plate reader camera that then alerted police.

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Officers began following the vehicle and stated Alvarez, who was driving, was reckless on the road, making "several erratic lane changes, [running] multiple lights, cut several vehicles off without due care and drove in excess of 90 MPH in the right shoulder passing heavy traffic."

The pair then drove onto U.S. 95, from Boulder Highway, and were weaving through heavy traffic before exiting on Sunset Road. According to the arrest report, Alvarez told police that Alvarado was giving her driving directions and telling her not to stop.

The report states that during the high-speed chase on the freeway, Alvarez lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a vehicle being driven by Herbert Muskin, who was stopped at a red light with his wife Sherry. The impact from the crash caused their vehicle to go through the intersection to hit a light pole on the opposite side.

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Alvarez told police that she blacked out for a short while but then heard Alvarado yell "Run!" Alvarado then got out of the vehicle and ran away, while pointing a gun at officers. Officers shot Alvarado while she was running away and she fell to the ground before being arrested.

While Sherry Muskin had minor injuries, Herbert suffered from a broken neck and was taken to Sunrise Hospital. He passed away about a month after the crash.

During the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, his two sons and granddaughter testified before the court telling Judge Michelle Leavitt just how painful his loss has been.

"A man who survived a World War and lived for over a century with grace and courage died from injuries inflicted by two people who robbed a store," said John Muskin, Herbert's son. "When these defendants took him, they didn't just take [my mom's] husband. They took the person she depended on to live. After 67 years together, she was alone for the first time in her life. My mother passed away less than a year after my father did. Her death was not a coincidence. It was a consequence of this crime. ... These defendants didn't just kill my father. They are responsible for my mother's death too."

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Both Alvarez and Alvarado apologized to the Muskin family during the hearing, saying they never meant to hurt anybody.

"I pray that you may have peace and forgiveness in your hearts and may you leave here with lighter spirits," Alvarez told the court. "Today, I want to take accountability for my actions and with this sentence, right my wrongs with dignity and respect. ... I want to express that the collision was never malicious or intended. I'm a lot of things but I'm not a person who would intentionally bring harm to anybody."

"A lot of things could have been prevented that night if the high-speed chase would have been called off but something that I did in the beginning, I made a decision that allowed all of those things to occur," Alvarado said. "I apologize for that. I know that I hurt their family."

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However, Drew Muskin, Herbert's other son, said their words ring hollow.

"[Author] Lois McMaster Bujold once stated, the dead cannot cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do that for them. That's why I'm here and my brother is here, in memory of my father. I hope that they are not given another opportunity to inflict further harm onto others," Drew told the court. "They should never be granted parole. I will attend all parole board hearings in the future, once they become eligible."

One of several charges that Alvarez was facing was murder with use of a deadly weapon. Previous court filings show her attorneys tried to have that charge removed after showing the records to several doctors who indicated Muskin could have died from a cardiac event or stroke instead of complications from the neck injury caused by the crash.

"The coroner records lists the cause of death as aspiration pneumonia due to complications of blunt force trauma, global geriatric decline is a major contributing factor," a filing from Aug. 2024 reads in part. "Due to lack of an autopsy, cause of death cannot be reliably determined ... Under prevailing norms in the scientific community, an autopsy was required under the circumstances. Dr. Shaller's finding relative to cause of death is not the produce of reliable methodology, does not have sufficient foundation and is plain wrong."

Prosecutors argued against that saying the case "did not come in as a suspected homicide — in came in as a suspected accident" and that "the manner of death proffered by a Medical Examiner cannot be conflated with a jury's finding of murder." They added the Medical Examiner's Office followed standard protocol when an accident victim's body is examined.

Ultimately, Alvarez was not charged with murder after she and Alvarado agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors.

Alvarez agreed to plead guilty to five different counts:

• Conspiracy to commit robbery
• Robbery with use of a deadly weapon
• Reckless driving, resulting in substantial bodily harm
• Not stopping when a police officer told her to
• Ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person

Judge Leavitt sentenced her to an aggregate term of 10 to 30 years in prison.

She will receive nearly three years credit for time served.

Alvarado agreed to plead guilty to four different counts:

• Conspiracy to commit robbery
• Robbery with use of a deadly weapon
• Resisting a public officer with use of dangerous weapon
• Assault on a protected person with use of a deadly weapon.

Judge Leavitt sentenced her to an aggregate term of 14 to 40 years in prison.

She will also receive nearly three years credit for time served.