In the late hours of a Saturday in early June, the lives of two young women were tragically cut short in a devastating series of events that began with a courageous attempt to leave a troubled relationship. Eighteen-year-old Jadence A. M. Hale of Keavy, Kentucky, had decided to end her relationship with her 21-year-old boyfriend, James Priddy. For support, she brought along her best friend, 19-year-old Lila Kira Hope Asher.
The three were in Priddy's car, a red Chevrolet Cobalt, after leaving a home in Barbourville to get food. The situation quickly escalated into a nightmare as Priddy refused to let the two women leave the vehicle, turning a planned breakup into a harrowing kidnapping.
Concern for the young women grew when family members were unable to reach them, prompting a call to Knox County dispatch about a possible domestic violence situation. The family's fears were realized as they could reportedly hear screaming and begging during a phone call, followed by a gunshot. Barbourville police located Priddy's vehicle, but he refused to stop, initiating a high-speed chase that crossed into Laurel County with speeds reportedly exceeding 100 mph. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Knox County Sheriff's Department, Laurel County Sheriff's Office, Corbin Police Department, and Kentucky State Police, joined the pursuit. The chase came to a dramatic and tragic end on Kentucky 312 in the Keavy community when Priddy's car struck a police cruiser and then collided with another vehicle.
When officers finally approached the stopped Chevrolet Cobalt, they discovered a horrific scene inside. Jadence A. M. Hale and Lila Kira Asher were found dead from gunshot wounds. James Priddy was also deceased, from what investigators believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office stated that all indications point to Priddy shooting and killing both Hale and Asher before taking his own life. The community was left in shock and mourning for the two young women, remembered as best friends who shared a deep bond and were honored with funerals held side-by-side. Lila Asher was the mother of a five-month-old daughter. The case concluded as a double murder-suicide, with James Priddy identified as the sole suspect, thus there were no arrests or trials to follow. The investigation, involving multiple agencies, confirmed the tragic sequence of events that unfolded from a domestic dispute into a fatal chase and the loss of two young lives.
