In the late hours of a September evening in 2016, a life full of promise was tragically cut short in Clarksville, Tennessee. Ashley Nicole Ashworth, a 19-year-old female, was attending a party on Cedar Springs Circle when an argument broke out. During the altercation, another individual fired what he would later claim were 'warning shots' into the crowd. One of these bullets struck Ashley in the head.
She was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but tragically succumbed to her injuries on September 19, 2016. At the time of her death, the determined and loving young woman was in the process of enrolling in the Air Force.
Witnesses at the scene provided a description of the shooter and his vehicle, which led to a swift arrest. The suspect was identified as Demarkus Ely, then 19 years old, from Mobile, Alabama. According to police, the shooting was not a random act of violence. Ely had been involved in an altercation with another person at the party and had intended to shoot that individual. Ashley Ashworth was not the intended target but was standing near the person Ely was aiming for when the shots were fired. The firearm used in the shooting was recovered from Ely's vehicle.
Initially, Demarkus Ely was charged with aggravated assault, but after Ashley's death, the charge was upgraded to criminal homicide. In a turn of events that brought anguish to Ashley's family, Ely later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in July of 2018. He was sentenced to six years in prison. As a part of his sentence, Ely was also required to complete 100 hours of community service, which was to include speaking at schools and correctional facilities about the devastating impact of gun violence. The outcome of the legal proceedings was a source of profound disappointment for Ashley's family, who felt that the punishment did not equate to the loss of a vibrant young life.
