A judge on Thursday ordered a sentence of 18 years to life in prison for a woman who committed a deadly crash on the Strip in 2015.
Lakeisha Holloway, 35, who has changed her name to Paris Morton, pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and battery with use of a deadly weapon.
She and prosecutors agreed to the sentence that she received for the crash that killed Jessica Valenzuela, 32, and injured dozens.
After making her guilty plea, Holloway unsuccessfully tried to withdraw it, delaying her sentencing for months.
In a jailhouse interview last year, she said the case dragged on for so long because she changed attorneys and spent time receiving competency restoration treatment at state hospitals. She also denied that the crash was intentional.
“I wish I could rewind the hands of time,” she said in the interview. “I wish no one had to feel this pain.”
On Dec. 20, 2015, Holloway had been in Las Vegas for about a week, living in her car with her 3-year-old daughter, police have said. Everywhere she tried to stop and rest, security guards kicked her out, she told detectives.
She headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard in an Oldsmobile sedan, then drove onto the sidewalk in front of Planet Hollywood and continued on the sidewalk until veering off near what is now Horseshoe Las Vegas.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.