A Nevada woman has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for plowing her car into a crowd on the Las Vegas Strip, killing a mother of three who was celebrating her anniversary with her husband.
The Crash
In December 2015, Lakeisha Holloway — now known as Paris Morton — drove her vehicle onto a sidewalk along Las Vegas Boulevard, striking 37 people. Victim Jessica Valenzuela was killed at the scene.
Morton was homeless at the time, living in her car with her 3-year-old daughter after traveling from Oregon. She later told police she remembered bodies “bouncing off her windshield.”
A Family Shattered
Jessica’s daughter Layla, just 8 years old when her mother never came home, recalled the moment her father returned from the trip alone.
“Where’s mommy? Where’s mommy? I want to see her. Where is she?” Layla said at the sentencing hearing.
Her sister Giana, who was 9 at the time, told the court she “never told her goodbye” — believing their mother would return.
Years of Legal Delays
Morton’s case dragged on for nearly a decade due to mental health evaluations and legal issues. She was found not competent to stand trial in 2020, then deemed competent in 2021 after psychiatric evaluations.
She pleaded guilty in August 2025 to second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon.
Morton’s Apology
At sentencing, Morton sobbed while addressing the victims’ family.
“No matter how many sorries, and how much remorse, words are never enough,” she said. “I’m so sorry for your pain.”
She was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
— Coverage by thecmeaglet.com
