Corona man sentenced to life without parole for killing 3 teens who ding-dong-ditched his home

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Corona man was sentenced to life without parole for the 2020 murders of three teenage boys who pranked him by ringing his doorbell and running away, commonly referred to as a ding-dong-ditch.

Anurag Chandra was convicted in a Riverside County courtroom in April. His victims were identified as Drake Ruiz and Daniel Hawkins of Corona and Jacob Ivascu of Riverside, who were all 16 years old at the time.

Chandra reportedly showed no emotion when the sentencing was read Friday afternoon. Some of the victims' family members were in court and felt a weight was lifted off their shoulders.

"I feel that justice was served," said Drake's mother, Debbie Ruiz. "It would have been nice to have it sooner, but who knew that COVID would happen right after."

Alex Ivascu, Jacob's father, echoed that sentiment.

"It's not going to bring back any of our boys, but we feel justice was served," he said.

Authorities said Chandra intentionally rammed the vehicle the teens were in off the road after the prank. Three others in the car were also injured, including two of the victims' younger brothers.

Chandra, who didn't know the boys, testified at trial that one of the boys rang his doorbell and exposed his buttocks before running away, according to The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Chandra testified that he followed them because he feared for his family's safety and wanted to express his anger. He said he was "extremely, extremely mad" with the prank.

Chandra also testified that he drank 12 beers in the hours before the crash, the newspaper reported.

He said he did not plan to crash into the Prius and testified that he did not stop after rear-ending the sedan because he did not realize anyone had been injured - even though he admitted under cross-examination that he had been driving 99 mph before the collision.

"We've been robbed of watching them get married, we've been robbed of having grandchildren, and on the other hand, Chandra has robbed himself of that with his daughters," said Daniel's mother, Janet. "He will never watch his daughters graduate from college, he will never walk them down the aisle."

Before the sentencing, the defense had argued for a new trial, saying Chandra did not have intent to kill, but was just making rash and impulsive decisions. The judge, however, disagreed.

"We are still surprised he showed no remorse, but he never changed the look on his face," said Debbie Ruiz. "I mean, a normal human being ... you're facing life in prison, why not show some emotion? Be at least a little sorry for what you did."