A Las Vegas man has been sentenced to prison after hitting and killing a pedestrian on the Strip.
Victim and Incident
Jeffrey Ryan Diedenhofen, 29, was crossing West Flamingo Road near South Las Vegas Boulevard at approximately 3:30 a.m. on May 30, 2025, outside a marked or implied crosswalk. Stephon Watkins, 37, was driving a 2016 BMW X5 when he struck Diedenhofen and failed to stop. Medics pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene.
Arrest and Charges
Watkins was initially charged with hit-and-run and reckless driving. He was arrested in Sacramento, California, in December 2025 and returned to Clark County, Nevada. Last month, he pleaded guilty to failure to stop at the scene of a crash involving death.
Sentencing
Watkins was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. At the hearing, he claimed he was trying to make a green light, while the victim’s father argued that Watkins’ speed—up to 86 mph in a 35 mph zone—made the collision unavoidable and preventable.
