A Kansas judge has convicted a motorist of vehicular homicide in connection with a fatal crash that killed a Topeka elementary school teacher earlier this year. The verdict comes just days after a separate conviction in New Orleans related to the death of the teacher’s widower, highlighting the tragic consequences that have affected one family within the span of less than a year.

Todd W Armstrong was found guilty on Monday by Judge Andrew Hinck in a bench trial for a traffic collision on April 11, 2024, in Topeka, Kansas, which resulted in the death of 24-year-old Ashleigh Boyd. Armstrong was also convicted of driving on the wrong side of the road and speeding. He had pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Boyd was driving her sedan with her infant daughter, Eleanor, when Armstrong's pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic and struck her vehicle head-on. Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene, and Eleanor suffered injuries. Court documents revealed that Armstrong had been parked at a Kansas City casino for several hours the morning of the crash. He told investigators that a mechanical issue or a blown tire caused the accident, but authorities found no evidence to support these claims. A drug screening allegedly indicated the presence of cocaine metabolites in Armstrong’s system, though this evidence was excluded from the trial after objection from his attorney.

Armstrong's defense lawyer referenced a 2002 Kansas Supreme Court ruling, arguing that vehicular homicide requires proof of more than ordinary negligence for a conviction, but the judge ruled otherwise.

The judge, Andrew Hinck, has a personal connection to this case, as he and his wife, Nicole, are raising Eleanor following the deaths of Boyd and her husband, Adan Manzano. Manzano, a journalist originally from Toluca, Mexico, was found dead in a hotel room in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner on February 5, 2025, while covering Super Bowl LIX for Telemundo’s Kansas City affiliate.

Authorities determined that Manzano’s death was the result of an attack by a group of individuals who targeted victims in New Orleans’ French Quarter by drugging them to facilitate theft. Manzano died from asphyxiation after ingesting alcohol and Xanax, according to the autopsy.

Last Thursday, a jury convicted Danette Colbert, 49, of negligent homicide and racketeering in connection with Manzano’s death, while co-defendant Rickey White, 35, was also found guilty of racketeering. A third suspect, Christian Anderson, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and testified against Colbert and White.

Colbert had already been serving a 25-year prison sentence for violating probation on prior convictions. Racketeering charges carry a sentence of up to 50 years, while negligent homicide can result in up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Judge Hinck expressed frustration with elements of the justice system during the proceedings, especially noting the limited maximum sentence Armstrong faces under Kansas law, where vehicular homicide is classified as a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. He also highlighted the emotional toll on his family and the challenge of protecting his granddaughter from the details of her parents’ deaths.

“We don’t talk about it with her,” Hinck said. “The only thing she knows is her mom and dad are in heaven, and she will see them one day.”