Alyssa Kovash, a 20-year-old female, was tragically killed on April 18, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the early morning hours, she was walking with her friend and coworker, Stephanie Knight, after their shift at the Crescent City Brewhouse in the French Quarter. As they made their way to Knight's apartment, they were accosted by two men in an attempted robbery.
During the struggle for her purse, one of the assailants struck Kovash with a beer bottle before fatally shooting her in the head. The gunshot wound was determined to have been fired from a very close range, within one to two feet. After the shooting, the attackers fled the scene with both women's purses, escaping in a stolen Jeep driven by a third accomplice.
The ensuing police investigation led to the identification and arrest of three suspects: Darnell Gilmore, Marcus Pleasant, and Ahmad Hill. Stephanie Knight was able to identify Gilmore in a photographic lineup as one of the men who approached them. Gilmore also provided a statement to the police regarding his involvement. On June 23, 2005, all three men were indicted for the first-degree murder of Alyssa Kovash.
The legal proceedings that followed saw the charges against Gilmore and Pleasant amended to second-degree murder. Darnell Gilmore's first trial ended in a mistrial; however, a second trial resulted in a guilty verdict. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the benefit of parole or suspension of sentence. Marcus Pleasant, the driver of the getaway vehicle, was also found guilty of second-degree murder and received a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The third man, Ahmad Hill, was acquitted of the charges against him.
