Ashley Marie Monroe was carrying her fifth child in the Spring of 2024, but she wasn’t taking proper care of herself. On May 18th, she got very drunk and took prescription drugs. If that wasn’t bad enough, she got behind the wheel of a vehicle.
At the same time Monroe was cruising down the street, a family of 16 was walking down a rural road just outside Lansing.
Monroe hit them, then she fled the scene.
30-year-old Jonathan Esch and his brother-in-law, Daniel Harris, both died. Fourteen other people were injured, including eight people under the age of eight. Harris’s wife suffered severe injuries and had to have her leg amputated.
When Monroe was arrested, her blood alcohol was determined to be .195.
She pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder and eight counts of driving while intoxicated on August 13th, 2025. She returned to court for sentencing on October 15th, 2025. She was emotional but did not address the court.
The 36-year-old was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.
DOB:
December 5th, 1988Conviction(s):
- Second-degree murder (1 count)
- Driving while intoxicated (8 counts)
Date of crime:
May 18th, 2024Location(s):
Lansing, MIDate of arrest:
Same DayDetails:
Drove drunk and hit 16 people. Two of them died.Confirmed Victim(s):
- Daniel Harris (42)
- Jonathan Esch (30)
- 14 others
Method:
VehicleMotive(s):
Drunk drivingSentence:
30 to 60 years in prisonCurrent whereabouts:
Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Washtenaw County, MILast Updated on 03/18/2026
