Published on: August 19, 2025, 10:52h. 

Updated on: August 19, 2025, 11:03h.

• Almost a decade after injuring 38 pedestrians on the Vegas Strip, Lakeisha Holloway has admitted guilt to related charges.
• Holloway accepted a plea for second-degree murder and battery with a deadly weapon.
• The prolonged case was due to Holloway’s prior mental incompetence ruling for trial.

After nearly ten years of legal proceedings, the individual accused of driving her vehicle into pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip—resulting in one fatality and injuries to 37 others—has entered a guilty plea, as reported by KLAS-TV/Las Vegas.

At 34 years old, Lakeisha Holloway—who changed her name to Paris Paradise Morton before the tragic incident—has pled guilty to one charge of second-degree murder and one charge of battery with a deadly weapon. She is expected to receive a sentence ranging from 18 years to life in prison, accounting for time already served.

The significant duration from the crime to the plea resolution arises from legal requirements mandating that a defendant must be mentally fit for trial. Repeated assessments determined that Holloway was not mentally competent, leading to prolonged commitments in mental health facilities and indefinite delays in court proceedings.

While these legal safeguards are essential for ensuring due process, they also resulted in nearly a decade’s delay in achieving justice for the victims and their families.

The Incident Overview

On December 20, 2015, law enforcement reported that Holloway deliberately steered her vehicle onto the sidewalk adjacent to Planet Hollywood and Paris Las Vegas, colliding with 38 pedestrians across several blocks.

Among the injured, Jessica Valenzuela, a 32-year-old mother visiting from Arizona, succumbed to her injuries.

Initially facing 71 charges—including murder with a deadly weapon, child abuse/neglect (as her 3-year-old daughter was in the car), and numerous counts of attempted murder and severe battery—Holloway tested positive for cannabis.

In the aftermath of the crash, Holloway went on to plead not guilty. She attributed her actions to a mental breakdown caused by the deaths of two family members, job loss, and unsuccessful attempts to exit the Church of Scientology.

Her sentencing is slated for September 25, where she will confront the ramifications of this shocking tragedy that resonated in Las Vegas and beyond.