On a February morning in 2022, 16-year-old Ahmad Howard was walking to his school bus stop in Marrero, Louisiana, when his life was tragically cut short. A vehicle approached, and three individuals emerged, opening fire on the John Ehret High School student. The brazen attack, which occurred on February 21, 2022, left the community in shock and mourning.
Ahmad, a male, was a junior who proudly wore the #23 football jersey.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office quickly launched an investigation that led to the swift arrests of three suspects: 18-year-old twin brothers, Devon and Davon Gilmore, and 17-year-old Orlando Washington. A fourth individual, Sascha Washington, the mother of Orlando, was also implicated for allegedly driving the getaway vehicle. The motive for the senseless killing was believed to be a misguided act of retaliation related to gang activity, with Ahmad being an innocent target.
In August 2024, the trial of the three young men commenced. After a five-day trial, a jury found Devon Gilmore, Davon Gilmore, and Orlando Washington guilty of second-degree murder. The verdict brought a sense of justice to Ahmad's grieving family, who had been hoping for swift and decisive legal consequences for the heinous crime that took their son's life.
Following the guilty verdicts, the court proceeded with sentencing. Both Davon Gilmore and Orlando Washington were sentenced to life in prison. Due to his age at the time of the offense, Orlando Washington will be eligible for parole after serving a portion of his sentence. Davon Gilmore was sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. While the legal proceedings against the three shooters concluded with significant sentences, the specifics of any charges or convictions against Sascha Washington for her alleged role as the getaway driver have not been widely reported.
