Drunk driver who killed Arlington ministry student gets 10 years in prison

Arlington drunk driver gets 10 years in prison

Keymon Jones was supposed to be picking up his mom to head to church but never made it. He was killed by a man who was driving drunk at 10 a.m.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The family of an Arlington ministry student killed in a drunk driving crash says they're relieved his killer is no longer on the streets, but they are concerned the sentence isn't long enough.

Keymon Jones was killed in June 2022 while he was on his way to church.

The driver, Bryan Lizarzaburo-Penafiel, was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week.

Angell Jones had strong words in a Tarrant County courtroom while confronting the man who killed her son while driving drunk.

"And I looked at him in his eyes and said, ‘I’m going to be honest. I will never forgive you. I don’t know when. I don’t know how,’" she recalled. "He was just sitting there like he didn’t care at all. They asked, ‘Are you afraid of going to prison?’ He said no."

Wednesday, Lizarzaburo-Penafiel was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 22-year-old ministry student’s murder.

Bryan Lizarzaburo-Penafiel (Photo: Tarrant County Jail)

Investigators say in June 2022, Lizarzaburo-Penafiel was speeding and ran a red light at an Arlington intersection, slamming into Keymon’s car. It was just before 10 a.m., and Lizarzaburo-Penafiel was drunk.

Photos of Keymon’s Ford were shown in court. It was a mangled mess of metal.

"When they showed it in court, I couldn’t take it," Angell said.

Keymon’s family tells FOX 4 that morning he was on the way to pick up his mother before church.

"I know God has a purpose for him and for all of us. It has damaged my life for the worst," Angell said. "That will never ever fill the hole in my heart."

The Jones family says they wish the judge handed down a stricter punishment, but there is slight closure.

Keymon Jones (Family Photo)

However, the peace is forever shattered.

"Now, another family doesn’t have to go through what we went through," said Brionna Jones, Keymon’s sister. "People like him who drink and drive, it’s irresponsible."

Lizarzaburo-Penafiel was out on bond since June 2022 and had to use an ankle monitor. Following Wednesday’s sentence, he booked into the Tarrant County jail.