News Release

September 25, 2019

Ladarius Laffitte Sentenced to 139 Years in Prison

Montgomery County, Ala. – A Montgomery County man found guilty of causing a deadly 2017 crash that claimed the life of a mother of two young children has been sentenced to 139 years in prison, District Attorney Daryl Bailey announced.

Ladarius Laffitte was sentenced to 99 years for the reckless murder of Ashleigh Perkins. He was also convicted of two counts of first-degree assault for injuries to Ms. Perkins’ parents and received 20 years for each count. The sentences will run consecutively.

Laffitte and a co-defendant were racing down Vaughn Road toward the intersection at Taylor Road on May 13, 2017, when Laffitte’s Dodge Challenger slammed into Ms. Perkins’ father’s Lexus sedan at 144 miles per hour.

During the sentencing hearing Judge Greg Griffin told Laffitte, who was intoxicated at the time of the collision, “I believe you were drinking. I believe you were racing. There’s nothing you can say to tell me otherwise.” Laffitte repeatedly tried to blame the victim for turning in front of him, and also repeatedly told Judge Griffin he did not know why he was being prosecuted for an accident that was not his fault, District Attorney Daryl Bailey said.

District Attorney Bailey, who prosecuted the case along with Deputy District Attorneys Damon Lewis and Ben McGough of the Violent Crime Unit, said he was happy Ashleigh Perkins and her family received the justice they deserved. DA Bailey noted that this senseless crime occurred the night before Mother’s Day, and Ms. Perkins parents had come from Georgia to surprise her and her two children.

District Attorney Daryl Bailey said, “This was a difficult case for me to prosecute because it was so senseless. Driving intoxicated at 144 mph down a well-traveled street showed that Ladarius Laffitte could care less about his life or anyone else’s life. Now there are two children without a mother and a mother and father without a daughter because of his crime. Nothing will bring Ashleigh back, but at least her two children will know the person responsible for killing their mother was held accountable.”

When Laffitte’s Challenger slammed into the side of the sedan at 144 miles per hour, it split the car carrying Perkins and her parents in half. The front of the vehicle was in Vaughn Road near the turn by the Mapco gas station, while the back of the car, where Ms. Perkins was sitting, was flung 100 yards away. Ms. Perkins’ body was found in the nearby bushes, and she was pronounced dead on the scene.

In addition to Deputy DAs Lewis and McGough, DA Bailey once again expressed his appreciation to DA Investigators John Wilson, John Brown, and Sgt. S.P. Manuel of the Montgomery Police Department for their work in the investigation of the case.

Laffitte’s co-defendant remains charged and is awaiting trial.

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