Key facts
- A Kansas judge found Todd W Armstrong guilty of vehicular homicide in the death of Ashleigh Boyd.
- Ashleigh Boyd, a teacher at Lowman Hill elementary school, died in a head-on collision with Armstrong's pickup truck.
- Armstrong's truck was reportedly parked at a casino for five hours before the crash.
- Armstrong allegedly told authorities a blown tire or mechanical failure caused the crash, but investigators found no signs of defects.
- Urine drug screen results indicated the presence of cocaine metabolites in Armstrong's system, but the defense successfully argued this evidence should be omitted.
- Adan Manzano, Boyd's husband, died in New Orleans after ingesting alcohol and Xanax, according to his autopsy.
A Kansas judge has reportedly convicted a driver of vehicular homicide in the death of a teacher, Ashleigh Boyd, who was killed in a head-on collision on April 11, 2024. The verdict came just four days after a Louisiana jury found a woman guilty of the drugging death of Boyd's husband, Adan Manzano, who was preparing to cover the 2025 Super Bowl for Telemundo.
Todd W Armstrong, 55, pleaded not guilty in the traffic collision that killed Boyd, 24, a teacher at Topeka's Lowman Hill elementary school. Judge Andrew Holmes delivered the guilty verdict after a one-day bench trial. Armstrong's sentencing is tentatively scheduled for November. Investigators recovered evidence showing Armstrong's truck had been parked for five hours at a casino in Kansas City before the crash. Armstrong allegedly claimed a blown tire or mechanical failure caused the collision, but investigators found no obvious signs of such defects. A urine drug screen indicated the presence of cocaine metabolites, though the defense successfully argued this evidence should be omitted.
Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene, and her infant daughter, Eleanor, was injured. Boyd's husband, Manzano, was working for Telemundo in Kansas City when he traveled to New Orleans to cover Super Bowl LIX. He was found dead in his hotel room days before the game. Investigators determined Manzano was drugged and robbed by a group in New Orleans' French Quarter. His autopsy revealed he died of asphyxiation after ingesting a combination of alcohol and Xanax.
In the Louisiana case, Danette Colbert, 49, was convicted of negligent homicide and racketeering along with accomplice Rickey White, 35. A third defendant, Christian Anderson, 35, testified against Colbert and White in exchange for a plea to lesser charges. Colbert had previously received a 25-year sentence for violating probation on a prior theft and fraud conviction and being classified as a habitual offender.
Brian and Nicole Hinck, Boyd's parents and Manzano's in-laws, are raising their three-year-old granddaughter, Eleanor. Brian Hinck expressed disappointment with the justice system, noting that Armstrong faced no more than a year in prison if found guilty of vehicular homicide, a misdemeanor in Kansas. He also voiced incredulity regarding Colbert's probation status at the time of Manzano's death.