Family pleads for information in murder of Marine who was assaulted then struck in hit-and-run

The family of a Marine who died after authorities say he was assaulted and then struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run are pleading with the public to come forward with information in the murder investigation.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder of Peter Chounthala in May.

Chounthala was found by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies lying in the street with severe trauma to his upper torso after responding to a report of a hit-and-run incident early on May 28 in the city of Bellflower. He was pronounced dead at the scene and died from blunt force trauma, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lt. Patricia Thomas.

Investigators learned that Chounthala had been assaulted by at least two men and then left lying in the middle of the street, where he was subsequently struck by a passing vehicle, according to Thomas.

Both the men and the vehicle fled the scene, Thomas said.

"Investigators believe Mr. Chounthala was an innocent victim of these senseless acts of violence," Thomas said during a press briefing on Wednesday announcing the reward in the case while surrounded by Chounthala's family and fellow Marines.

Chounthala, a native of Philadelphia who had joined the Marines in 2008, was a wounded warrior and recovering service Marine after serving tours in Afghanistan and multiple Marine expeditionary units, Thomas said.

He was the "best dad" to his 3-year-old son and had planned to be a stay-at-home dad upon his retirement from the Marines later this year, his wife, Jurina Chounthala, said.

"It's painful knowing that I'm a widow, but knowing that our son is without a father now makes it so much more painful to bear," Jurina Chounthala said at Wednesday's press briefing, describing the past few weeks as a "true nightmare."

She said her husband, who was of Laotian descent, would speak to their son in Laos, and that the toddler doesn't really understand what happened to his father.

"Not hearing his dad speak to him in his native tongue has been difficult," she said.

Jurina Chounthala, who is an active duty member of the Air Force, said she met her husband while they were both stationed overseas. She remembered Chounthala as a dedicated, proud Marine and loving husband.

"He was everything to me, to my family, to our friends and family," she said. "He's like the glue that held all of us together."

She urged anyone with information to come forward.

"Please come forward and help bring justice to a great human being, a good man," she said. "And hopefully we can have some closure."

Chounthala is also survived by two younger sisters. One of his sisters, Witpha Chounthala, pleaded with the perpetrators to "do the right thing" and turn themselves in.

"Make it easier for yourself and for us," she said at the press briefing. "You can only run from justice but for so long. But one thing, I can promise you, you cannot run from God."

Thomas said investigators believe there are witnesses who saw the suspects or know who they are and are looking to speak with everyone involved in the incident.

"We're asking for the public's assistance and hope people will have the courage to come forward and help investigators identify the persons responsible for this senseless act of violence and bring some closure to the family," Thomas said.

Authorities are also seeking information on a vehicle believed to have been involved in the incident, described by the sheriff's department as a dark-colored 2021-2023 Kia sedan.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.