Two young women who went together for moral support when one tried to break up with her boyfriend were shot dead by him at the end of a 30-minute police chase through Kentucky — and will now be buried “side by side” to honour the bond they shared in life and in death.
Jedance Hale, 18, and Lila Asher, 19, had gone together on Saturday so that Hale would not have to face the confrontation alone. Asher had accompanied her friend to break up with James Priddy, 21, earlier that day — but the situation spiralled catastrophically when Priddy refused to accept the split and forced both girls into his red Chevrolet Cobalt, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.
Parents raised the alarm after the trio left a residence in Barbourville supposedly to get food. Hale’s mother called 911 in a panic after learning her daughter was in danger. “She tells me that they got proof that this female has been trying to leave him all day,” she told the dispatcher, according to audio obtained by WKYT. “This male has took off with her.”
When police caught up with Priddy, he refused to stop. A pursuit lasting approximately 30 minutes followed on Highway 312 before officers moved to box him in, forcing his vehicle to strike another car and come to a halt. Deputies who approached found all three occupants dead from gunshot wounds to the head. The sheriff’s office concluded that Priddy had shot and killed both young women before turning the gun on himself.
The loss has shattered two communities. In a GoFundMe established for the girls, Hale’s family described the two as having shared “a deep bond, always wanting to be together,” adding that their loved ones were “determined to honor that wish by holding their funerals side by side.” A friend, Mackenzie Watts, told LEX18: “They’re really torn up to hear about the passing of the girls. They’re just in shock as much as their families and their friends and everybody.”
Laurel County Sheriff’s Office Public Affairs Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said the incident had affected first responders as much as the wider community. “I can’t imagine the grief they’re feeling from something like this. It’s just unimaginable. But then we had the first responders too that saw what they saw during their investigation. And it was a tough one for us.”
Priddy’s family set up a separate GoFundMe, describing the 21-year-old as a “good kid” who “brought so much joy to our lives” and “would go out of his way to help others.” The tragedy has left the case as a devastating example of the lethal danger posed by domestic violence situations — with two young women who simply tried to look out for each other paying the ultimate price for that loyalty.
