In the early hours of New Year's Day 2023, a tragedy unfolded in Athens, Alabama, that cut short the life of 26-year-old Alexis Laperion Garth. A mother of two young daughters, ages three years and eight months, Garth was fatally shot in the driveway of her home on Oakdale Ridge Lane. The incident occurred around 4:00 a.m. during what authorities described as a domestic violence-related dispute.
Family members stated that Garth had been attempting to end her abusive relationship with her
live-in boyfriend, 20-year-old Ky'ruan Yarbrough. In her final moments, it is believed she was trying to protect her three-year-old child from the escalating violence. Garth was shot five times and was discovered by responding officers from the Athens Police Department. Despite being rushed to Huntsville Hospital, she succumbed to her injuries a few hours later.
Ky'ruan Yarbrough was detained at the scene and subsequently charged with capital murder. The charge was elevated to capital murder because the crime was committed in the presence of Garth's young daughter. Following his arrest, a Limestone County judge ordered that Yarbrough be held without bond, invoking Aniah's Law, which allows judges to deny bond for violent offenders.
It was later revealed that Yarbrough had a prior criminal history and had been granted mandatory release from prison on December 2, 2022, just one month before Garth's death. He had been serving a sentence for a 2019 conviction for first-degree assault. As of early 2026, Yarbrough was awaiting trial in the Limestone County Jail. The community mourned the loss of Garth, who was remembered by loved ones as a dedicated mother and a genuine person who was studying to become a physical therapist.
