Man Convicted of Reckless Murder in 2017 Fatal Crash

A Montgomery County jury has found Ladarius Laffitte guilty of causing a deadly 2017 crash that claimed the life of a mother of two young children, District Attorney Daryl Bailey announced.

Laffitte was convicted of reckless murder and two counts of first-degree assault in the death of Ashleigh Perkins and injuries to her parents. On May 13, 2017, Laffitte and a co-defendant were racing down Vaughn Road toward the intersection at Taylor Road when Laffitte’s Dodge Challenger hit the victim’s Lexus sedan, which was turning left into the Mapco gas station. Laffitte was also intoxicated at the time of the collision.

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

Laffitte faces up to life in prison. He will be sentenced in September.

District Attorney Daryl Bailey expressed his appreciation to Deputy District Attorneys Damon Lewis and Ben McGough of the Violent Crime Unit for their outstanding work. He also thanked 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.

District Attorney Bailey said: “I am happy we were able to bring justice for Ashleigh and her family. This was a difficult case for me to prosecute because it was so senseless. Driving intoxicated at 144 mph down a well-travelled street showed that the Defendant 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 Lafitte’s crime. Nothing will bring Ashleigh back, but at least her two children will know that the person responsible for murdering their mother was held accountable.”

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