The Murder of Ashley Lyons
For this case, I watched an episode of The Night That Didn’t End. It’s season 1 episode 6, titled ‘Murdered in the Cold of Winter.’
A pregnant teenager is found dead in her car.
Background
Ashley Renee Lyons was only 19 years old when she was killed. She was the youngest of three children, and lived in the small and rural town of Stamping Ground, Kentucky.
Ashley was described as a tomboy. She loved working on cars, and wearing her Wrangler jeans, and cowboy boots. Her mother Carol, said Ashley had bright blue eyes, and a bright smile.
Ashley had been dating a boy named Roger McBeath. However, after high school graduation, they broke up, but were still in each other’s lives. Ashley got pregnant, and everyone seemed excited.
Ashley Lyons
Ashley’s Movements
On January 7, 2004, Ashley came home from her doctors appointment. She was excited to tell her family that she was going to have a baby boy, and to show them the ultrasound photos.
Ashley already had a name picked out: Landon Lee. She had plans that night to meet up with Roger, and his parents, at a restaurant called O’Charley’s, in nearby Lexington.
Ashley got ready, and told her family she’d be back soon. Her mom had asked if Ashley wanted to take her truck, because it predicted to snow later. Ashley said no, and that she wouldn’t be gone that long. Ashley waived goodbye, and told Carol she loved her.
Later that evening, Roger called the house, and spoke to Ashley’s brother Chris. Roger asked if he had talked to Ashley. Chris said no, and that he thought she was going to meet him. Roger said he had something come up at work, and needed to cancel.
By 10pm, Ashley still wasn't home. Chris and their father went out looking for her. There were no cars in the parking lot of O’Charley’s, but Chris decided to check one more place: Scott County Park.
The Crime Scene
Chris, and their father, arrived at the park. They saw a car, and when they approached, they saw that it was Ashley’s. The car was running, and had the lights on. Ashley was sitting in the front seat, and appeared to have been looking down.
Chris came up to the car. The drivers side window was down, despite it being brutally cold. Chris opened the door, and shook Ashley. He said he didn’t realize until after he looked at his hand, that it was covered in blood.
Chris called 911, and the police arrived soon after. They discovered that Ashley had been shot three times, in the head and neck, with a .9mm. There were three shell casings found at the scene. Rigor mortis had already set in, revealing that Ashley had been dead for several hours.
Ashley still had her seat belt on, and her legs were crossed. Her wallet, purse, and phone were all still in the car. One more detail stuck out to the police: the ultrasound photos were laid out on the seat. They believed that Ashley had known the person who killed her.
The Investigation
The first person that the police spoke to was Roger. Roger appeared to be shocked about Ashley’s death. He told the police that he and Ashley had their ups and downs, but hadn't been a couple at the time when she found out she was pregnant.
Roger was brought down to the station for further questioning. He told the police that he had plans to meet with Ashley, but she hadn’t returned his calls. He said he told Chris to have her call him when she came home. The police let Roger go.
Carol and Chris did their own investigating. They found a journal in Ashley’s room. One name kept coming up in the journal. It was the name of a former friend of Ashley’s named Dena Williams.
Dena and Ashley had once been friends. Ashley felt bad for Dena, because she wore the same clothes everyday, and had issues within her family.
Ashley liked Dena, but other people, including a friend of Ashley’s said that Dena was jealous of Ashley. After Ashley and Roger broke up, Dena started dating Roger. The friendship ended when Dena discovered Ashley was pregnant with Roger’s baby.
Some Strange Events
Carol turned Ashley’s journal into the police. Dena was then tracked down, and brought into the police station.
Dena said she had been at work during the time Ashley was killed. Dena worked at a bank in Georgetown, Kentucky.
It was apparent that Dena was jealous of Ashley, but the police didn't have any evidence against her, and she was let go.
The police had been recreating the crime scene. The projection and trajectory of the bullets were examined. The police believed that the killer was 5’10,” which Dena was not.
The police didn’t have many leads, but rumors swirled. The rumors were that Dena’s twin brother Thomas was involved. Thomas had been talking and asking anyone who would listen, how to cause a miscarriage.
Thomas was also accused of following Ashley’s car one night, and of trying to break into her home, while she was home alone. The town thought that Thomas was doing everything that his sister asked him to do.
There was also no evidence against Thomas. Ashley’s parents put out a $3,000 reward, that eventually went up to $5,000.
The Tipster
About a week after Ashley’s murder, a woman who lived across from the park, came forward.
She said she had seen a man running away on the night of the murder. She said the man jumped a fence, and ran to a red pick up truck waiting nearby.
Once Ashley’s family heard about the red pick up truck, they knew Roger was involved. Roger drove a red pick up truck, and it was seized. However, there was no evidence found inside. Roger also refused to speak to the police.
The police then turned back to Dena and Thomas. Thomas cracked, and told the police that he had given Roger the gun, and that Roger was the one who shot Ashley. Roger then threw the gun into the water.
The gun was eventually found after a 6 hour dive search. The ballistic test proved that the gun was consistent with the bullets found at the scene.
Dena eventually admitted that she was the getaway driver.
The Convictions
The eyewitness was shown an array of photos of white men with short hair. The witness picked Roger out of the lineup. Roger, Thomas and Dena were all arrested.
Roger pleaded not guilty, but was eventually convicted of first degree murder. His first conviction was overturned, due to a legal formality. At his second trial, he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 42 years in prison. He was also given an additional 5 years for complicity to evidence tampering.
Roger McBeath
Dena Williams was sentenced to 20 years (other sources say 25) in prison. In 2019, she asked for early release, but then changed her mind, which is probably one of the smartest decisions she’s ever made.
Dena Williams
Thomas Williams was sentenced to 7 years for complicity to commit murder. He has since been released.
The only photo I could find of Thomas Williams
FINAL THOUGHTS
I will obviously never understand how a group of people can agree to murder someone. In this case, they agreed to kill two people. Ashley’s family buried Ashley and Landon together.
My heart broke over and over, listening to the Lyons’ family speak about Ashley. Chris actually found his sister in her car, and probably will never get that image out of his mind. They all deserve to rot in prison, especially Roger. I’m sure he could’ve made the decision to not be in Ashley and Landon’s life, but instead he got rid of them altogether, and ruined his own life.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/how-did-ashley-lyons-die-where-are-roger-mcbeath-and-dena-williams-now/
