A Vancouver man was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison for the 2021 shooting death of his former girlfriend.
A Clark County Superior Court jury found Austin J. Navarro, 32, guilty in July of second-degree domestic violence murder and unlawful possession of a firearm in the slaying of 27-year-old Inessa G. Kryshtal.
Kryshtal’s family gave tearful statements to the judge about the effect her death has had on them and the pain of sitting through the trial. Many of them spoke about Kryshtal’s devotion to her then-7-year-old daughter. Several asked the judge to sentence Navarro to the maximum amount of time.
“This senseless murder robbed … a little girl of a lifetime of experiences with her mother,” Kryshtal’s former husband said.
“No amount of time will bring back Inessa,” one of her friends told the judge.
Deputy Prosecutor Kelly Ryan asked the judge to sentence Navarro to the top of his sentencing range, nearly 28 years. He cited the impact Navarro’s crime had on the community, his lack of remorse and his danger to the community. Ryan pointed to several evaluations of Navarro’s mental health completed during the course of the case and the psychiatrists’ concerns about Navarro’s propensity for violence.
Defense attorney Josephine Townsend asked the judge to order a low-end sentence of 19½ years. She agreed Navarro has suffered from mental illness for much of his life. She said he’s been clean and sober for the three years the case has been pending, and he has had no behavioral problems at the jail during that time.
“This shows rehabilitation is possible,” she said.
Townsend maintained that Navarro did not intend to kill Kryshtal and that he didn’t know she’d died until police told him.
Navarro apologized Tuesday to Kryshtal’s family, and he said he was beginning to understand the pain they’ve felt. He said he’s struggled to show his remorse because of his mental illness, and he asked the judge to grant him some leniency.
Judge John Fairgrieve said the family and friends’ statements showed him the significant impact of Navarro’s crime, and he agreed Navarro poses a threat to society. But the judge ordered he be sentenced to the middle of his range, citing Navarro’s mental illness diagnoses and the remorse he expressed Tuesday.
Immediately following the judge’s announcement of the sentence, Townsend handed the court clerk a notice of appeal.
Navarro and Kryshtal had met Aug. 23, 2021, at the Chevron gas station at 4100 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., so Navarro could retrieve some belongings from her.
Navarro testified during his trial he was armed because of his former gang affiliation and knowledge that their meeting spot was frequented by gang members. He said he dropped the gun and it accidently fired as he tried to catch it.
During trial, Ryan described Navarro’s version of the incident as “magical.” He said the bullet went through the gap of the passenger’s side window — which was rolled down about an inch — because the glass was still intact.
