A mother has revealed the impact her son’s death has had on her life after he was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Jeff Diedenhofen, 29, was killed last May while crossing a road in the Las Vegas strip after Stephon Watkins, 37, hit him and fled the scene.
Watkins was finally arrested in December after over six months on the run.
He admitted failing to stop at the scene last month and has now been jailed for four to 12 years.
A mother’s grief that won’t fade
Jennifer Diedenhofen attended the Las Vegas court where she revealed how she has struggled to sleep since Jeff’s death.
Surrounded by pictures of him and with his ashes on the table in front of her, she addressed the room.
She told the court: ‘When I close my eyes, I see my son, that smiling, bright, blue-eyed child who made me a mother being struck by that speeding car.
‘Jeff is not defined by the way he died. He is defined by the way he lived and the love he brought into the lives of those who knew him, especially to me, his mother.’
Mrs Diedenhofen said he was a creative, independent and driven person who valued his family and friends, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
What happened in the moments before the crash
Jeff had been attending a Bitcoin 2025 conference when he was hit by Watkins.
He was crossing West Flamingo Road, close to South Las Vegas Boulevard, at 3.30am on May 30 with two other people.
Watkins accelerated to between 79mph and 86mph in the moments prior to hitting Jeff in a 35mph zone.
Police received several 911 calls, but when emergency crews arrived, they saw that he was beyond resuscitation and pronounced him dead.
What happened next would take months to unfold.
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The driver who fled the scene
Stephon Watkins admitted failing to stop at the scene of a fatal crash in April.
The BMW he was driving was found a short distance away from the crash with severe damage to the front.
Security footage from a nearby business showed two men getting out of the vehicle, Watkins and his passenger Rodney Feemster. After half an hour, Watkins got a ride-share and left the scene.
He went on the run for nearly seven months and was arrested on December 8, 2025, in Sacramento.
But the details in court painted an even darker picture.
Inside the courtroom
At his sentencing, he cried and was heard apologising for what he had done.
Explaining why he had accelerated, he said: ‘I was trying to make a still-green light.’
His public defender Marsella Saldanha said: ‘Stephon is deeply remorseful, both for speeding that night and also for not staying at the scene with Jeffrey that night.’
District Judge Kathleen Delaney said: ‘The only thing we could ever hope is that someone who did something so horrific and so tragic and so unnecessary would find a path forward when they’re no longer incarcerated.
‘Assuming they make it on the other side of that incarceration, to pay it forward to honour Jeff and to honour the life that was taken so unnecessarily.’
A death that could have been avoided
After sitting through the harrowing details of what his son had been through, John Diedenhofen said Jeff didn’t need to die.
He said: ‘From the video evidence, I believe my son would have escaped injury and still be alive if Mr Watkins had braked, just lifted or even maintained his prior, already excessive speed.’
Mrs Diedenhofen added: ‘A sentence has an end point. This loss does not.’
Who Jeff was – and what was lost
Jeff was the co-founder of financial solutions provider ALTINAD.
The love his friends had for him was clear in a memorial page dedicated to him following his death.
Chris Fletcher said: ‘Jeff was a light in our lives—kind-hearted, full of energy, and deeply loved. At just 29, his journey was tragically cut short, leaving behind a void that words can scarcely fill.
‘Yet in his short time with us, Jeff made a lasting impact. He will be remembered for his infectious laughter, generous spirit, and unwavering love for those around him.’
Thomas Fletcher added: ‘I didn’t have an older brother growing up but I had my older cousin. Even though we didn’t see each other much, as I spent most of my childhood growing up overseas, he still held that place in my heart.
‘Every time I heard stories about him from my mom, usually something wild or hilarious, felt like I knew him a little better. I always liked hearing about the trouble he was getting into.
‘It made me laugh, and made me feel connected to him. Even from a distance, I admired him. And even now, with him gone, I carry that same admiration with me.
‘I wish we’d had more time together, more chances to just hang out and be cousins. But I’m grateful for the memories I do have, and for the stories that keep him alive in all of us.
‘He left a mark on everyone who knew him. He mattered more than words can say. And no matter the distance or time apart, he’ll always be my family.’