Gary man convicted in 2020 slayings of 2 teenage boys

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - A Gary man was sentenced to 130 years in prison Friday after being convicted in the 2020 killings of two teenage boys found shot to death in a northwest Indiana home.

A Lake County jury found Alvino S. 'œVino'ť Amaya, 37, guilty of two counts of murder and a firearm enhancement last month in the slayings of 18-year-old Elijah Robinson and Maxwell Kroll, 17.

Prosecutors said the teens were slain execution-style on Oct. 16, 2020, in a residence near Griffith as Amaya was searching for a missing handgun.

Judge Salvador Vasquez said Amaya's character showed he was 'œhorribly violent.'ť He knew the sentence meant Amaya would die in prison.

'œWe all have to live with that decision,'ť Vasquez said of the sentence, the Post-Tribune reported. 'œYou deserve all this.'ť

Amaya said he would appeal.

'œAll of this was over a gun,'ť Robinson's father, Jonathan Robinson said. 'œSomething that cost a few hundred dollars. Now, my son is gone forever.'ť

Amaya's lawyer, Steven Mullins, asked for a 60-year sentence - 55 years on both murder counts, to run concurrently, with another five years on the firearms enhancement.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jacquelyn Altpeter asked for the 130-year sentence - 60 years each on both murder counts and 10 additional years for the firearms enhancement.