A 101-year-old World War II veteran lost his life following a high-speed police chase that ended in a collision in Henderson. Herbert Muskin, who still drove daily and cared for his wife, waited at a red light near Sunset Road and Stephanie Street on March 1, 2023, when a robbery suspect’s vehicle struck his car. He suffered a broken neck, endured nearly a month in the hospital, and ultimately passed away.
Sentencing Outcomes
District Judge Michelle Leavitt handed down sentences on Wednesday: 10 to 30 years for driver Kassandra Alvarez, 32, and 14 to 40 years for accomplice Lorraine Alvarado, 34. Both women faced initial murder charges but pleaded guilty in January to reduced offenses.
Alvarez admitted to robbery with a deadly weapon, reckless driving causing substantial bodily harm, and failing to stop for police. Alvarado confessed to robbery, resisting an officer, and assault on a protected person with a deadly weapon. The terms stemmed from plea agreements between the defense and prosecution.
Victim’s Legacy and Family Grief
Herbert Muskin served as a U.S. Army captain during World War II, later becoming an orthodontist who offered free care to disabled children without seeking acclaim. Married to Sherry Muskin for 67 years—she passed away last year at 86—the couple relocated to Las Vegas upon retirement. At 101, he remained his wife’s primary caregiver, driving her home from Costco when the crash occurred. Sherry also sustained injuries in the incident.
Jon Muskin, the victim’s son, reflected, “He did everything right. He served his country. He gave back to his community. He raised a family that respected the law. And the bitter irony is that none of that mattered on the night of March 1, 2023, because two people who were raised with none of those values decided that a bag of stolen merchandise was worth more than his life.”
Drew Muskin described his father as “exceptionally likeable and treated everyone who sat in his dental chair with kindness and respect.” Stationed in Germany during service, Herbert trained as a dentist in the Army. Drew added that the women “posed a significant threat to society” and urged the judge to prevent future harm.
Jon noted the profound loss: “My father, even at 101 years old, was my mother’s caretaker. When these defendants took him, they didn’t just take her husband, they took the person she depended on to live.” He believes his father would have summoned help promptly had he survived, potentially altering his mother’s outcome.
Ongoing Legal Battles
Muskin’s family has filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police Department and officers Justin Garcia and Jacob Barr, claiming negligent high-speed pursuit exceeding 100 mph across the Las Vegas Valley caused the death and Sherry’s injuries. Authorities countersued, attributing the harm to the suspects.
Debate arose over Muskin’s death certificate, which cited aspiration pneumonia from blunt force trauma complications, with global geriatric decline as a contributing factor. Alvarez’s attorney, Karen Connolly, called for an autopsy, but prosecutors maintained the crash directly led to his death, and Judge Leavitt upheld the charges.
Defendants’ Remarks
Alvarez expressed condolences: “I pray that you may have peace and forgiveness in your hearts and may you leave here with lighter spirits. Today, I want to take accountability for my actions and with this sentence, right my wrongs, with dignity and respect.” She emphasized no intent to harm.
Alvarado stated, “I did not murder no one, but I know that I hurt their family.” She blamed police tactics: “It was the tactics and the brutal excessive force that the officers used that spiraled the situation out of control. A lot of things could have been prevented that night if the high-speed chase would have been called off.”
Supporters, including Alvarez’s boyfriend Peter Price and Alvarado’s friend Cassandra Brooks, described the women’s upbringings as positive.
Jon Muskin lamented, “He survived a century of living and he did not survive a trip to Costco.”
