The trial of Ashley Kroese concluded on Friday with the jury returning a guilty verdict on all counts for Kroese’s role in killing of Brentwood Police Officer Destin Legieza in a 2020 head-on collision.
Friday’s trial day began with Judge James G. Martin III, who read the charges and jury instructions.
Kroese's amended charges were vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide .08 alcohol concentration or greater, vehicular homicide by reckless conduct and reckless aggravated assault resulting in death.
The prosecution then presented their closing argument to the jury followed by the defense’s closing arguments. After which, the jury of 8 women and 4 men began their deliberations. In just under two hours, they returned the unanimous guilty verdict on all counts.
Prosecutor Carlin Hess shows the jury a photo of fallen BPD Officer Destin Legieza during the state's closing arguments in the February 2022 trial for Ashley Kroese.
Impassioned closing arguments from Hess call for firm conviction
“It’s as simple as this, and this is what the evidence tells you in this case, you know it was her blood, you know she was drinking that evening, you know that she was twice the legal limit, and you know she killed Officer Legieza. It’s as simple as that,” Assistant District Attorney Carlin Hess said during the state’s closing argument.
“The only reason Destin Legieza is dead, the only reason Destin Legieza is dead, is because Ashley Kroese consciously disregarded the unjustifiable risk to others by driving on the roadway that morning. The only reason he is dead is because she decided to drive.
“During jury selection, the state told you that the fact that Destin Legieza was a police officer cannot influence your decision, right? ... And it can’t, it cannot and it shouldn’t, and the state is not asking it to influence your decision, but the fact of the matter is this, this man put his life on the line everyday, everyday.
“He didn’t die serving an arrest warrant on a violent criminal. He didn’t die protecting a domestic assault victim. He didn’t die responding to a trapped motorist on the interstate. At least in those cases he would have know what he was getting himself into. That’s what he signed up for [with] this job.
"He died driving down the road an hour before his shift was supposed to end, and he never saw it coming. He never saw her coming. Hold her accountable.”
Ofman argues Kroese was never intoxicated
One of Kroese’s two defense attorneys, Lee Ofman, directly called into question the authenticity of the blood sample, reiterating his concerns over the protocols and handling of the sample by the hospital, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
He also argued that, while he admitted that Kroese had been drinking the night of the fatal crash, she was not intoxicated, especially to the point of being twice the legal limit as recorded in her blood-alcohol test.
Ashley Kroese's defense attorney Lee Ofman holds up a TBI blood testing kit during his closing arguments.
Ofman pointed to witness testimony of Kroese’s known drinks that night and the video footage of her driving before the crash, saying that, while she didn’t have her headlights illuminated and was driving the wrong way at the time of the crash, her control of the vehicle prior to the crash gave no indications of impairment.
“When 4:30 came around in the morning, the evidence showed Ms. Kroese had not been drinking for two-and-a-half, maybe three hours...[she was not trying] to sober up, ladies and gentlemen,” Ofman said during the closing argument, emphasizing to the jury his view that Kroese was not intoxicated and had no reason to shake off the effects of alcohol.
“She was having fun, socializing in Franklin. Is that so hard to believe? Is that impossible to believe that a young lady can go to a bar and actually enjoy herself without making a fool of herself?
"I don’t think it is. I think that’s what we all want. We want someone to act like Ashley Kroese acted that night. We don’t want someone being a drunk.”
Upon the announcement of the verdict, the courtroom filled with tears, gasps and cries from both sides of the aisle.
Throughout the week-long trial, the courtroom’s gallery has been filled with friends, family, supporters and co-workers of Legieza, while Kroese’s family has also been present.
Judge Martin granted the prosecution’s request to immediately have Kroese’s bond revoked. She was placed into custody by Williamson County Sheriff’s Office deputies, her wrists placed in the very handcuffs that were issued to Legieza.
Destin Legieza's family cry as Ashley Kroese was convicted on all counts in the 2020 drunk driving crash that killed Legieza.
Kroese's mother broke down in tears at her daughter's arrest and was removed from the courtroom by her son, while the stunned Kroese was taken to the Williamson County Jail.
Following the trial, BPD Chief Jeff Hughes issued a prepared statement to the press, which reads in full:
“Today is a bittersweet day for the members of the Brentwood Police Department. This has been an emotional week for all of us. It is difficult to recount the details of June 18, 2020, and to watch the videos of this tragic incident again. We trust in the criminal justice system and feel that justice has been served. But there are no winners or losers in today’s outcome because nothing will bring Destin Legieza back to us.
"Although we take solace in the conclusion of the trial, there will always be a void in our lives without Destin. Please join us in keeping Destin’s family in your thoughts and prayers. His family is our family.
"We want to sincerely thank the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Franklin Police Department, the Medical Examiner’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigators and the District Attorney’s Office for thoroughly investigating and presenting the evidence in this case which resulted in this verdict. We are truly grateful for their collaborative efforts.”
BPD Chief Jeff Hughes issues a prepared statement to the press following the conviction of Ashley Kroese on all counts in the 2020 drunk driving crash that killed BPD Officer Destin Legieza. Hughes is surrounded by members of the DA's office, members of BPD and members of Legieza's family, including Legieza's father, who is a member of the Franklin Police Department.
District Attorney Kim Helper spoke to the verdict as well.
“It was horrible tragedy that has affected the Legieza family for the rest of their lives, and it was a tragedy that could have easily been avoided had the defendant made that decision, which you heard during testimony, to get an Uber, to not get behind the wheel of that vehicle, and yet she did,” Helper said. “And because of that, Destin Legieza’s family is without him for the rest of their lives.”
“Hopefully now the Legieza family, the Brentwood Police Department and the entire law enforcement community in Williamson County can begin to heal,” ADA Hess said after the verdict was reached, adding that the case was 'emotional' for all sides.
It's a fact that he said, “drove me as the prosecutor in this case to make sure I did everything that I could to make sure that justice was served.”
Heather Legieza, the widow of fallen Brentwood Police Officer Destin Legieza, breaks down in tears at the conviction of Ashley Kroese on all counts in the 2020 DUI crash that killed her husband.
“It’s not fair that his life got taken, he wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Legieza’s widow, Heather Legieza, told the press after the trial. “We can remember him for serving and serving well, and I know that he knows, but he was just so loved. Everyone misses him greatly.”
Kroese is facing a potential sentence of 8-12 years in prison, with a two-day sentencing hearing set for March 30-31.
Following the trial, Ofman declined to issue any comment to the Home Page.