INDIANAPOLIS — Jaime Heredia received a five-year prison sentence, plus three years of probation, for killing a Fishers couple in a July 11, 2022 crash in Lawrence. Grant and Ashley Lansdell died from their injuries in the crash.
Heredia pleaded guilty in October to two counts of reckless homicide. Many family members, friends, and colleagues of the victims and the defendant filled the courtroom for his sentencing Thursday.
Grant Lansdell was a gifted musician who played in several bands. Ashley was a beloved kindergarten teacher at Fall Creek Elementary School.
The couple had just left a doctor's appointment when they were hit while trying to pull onto East 56th Street from Glenn Road. Grant died at the hospital that day, Ashley was taken off life support 16 days later.
The investigation showed that Heredia, a military recruiter and Marine veteran, had been drinking that day and was going 78 miles an hour one second before the crash, driving a government-owned car in a 40 mile per hour zone.
"I just kept seeing the same picture over and over again of this violent crash and my son being dead and being cut out of the car," said Judith Reeser, Grant's mother, one of several family members to give a victim impact statement at the sentencing. "I find now that I'm isolating myself more, since I have nothing positive to share with friends and people around me."
Marion County Superior Court Judge Angela Dow Davis said the fact that Heredia had another Marine come and remove alcohol containers from his car before police arrived — and did not check on the people in the other car — was an aggravating factor in the sentencing.
"I'm sad and disappointed that a Marine, who I normally hold in the highest respect, would have covered up information and act so carelessly and recklessly," said Jacqueline Tredmore, Ashley's cousin who testified by video conference.
"You took a son, a brother, a husband, a father, an uncle, a teacher, a comedian, a mentor and a friend to countless others, and in many ways, the worst thing he did was to take his music away from the world," said Bret Lansdell, Grant's brother. "The 11th of July was the day that the music died for all of us."
Heredia asked the victims' families to forgive him and asked the judge for home detention to be with his two children and pregnant wife in Greenville, South Carolina.
"After that accident, I asked God why I lived and didn't die," said Heredia in his statement of allocution. "Well, it probably would have been better if I had died. I had not only destroyed someone else's family, but I also destroyed mine — my wife, my two small children's lives. I hated myself. I was ashamed."
The prosecution asked for an eight-year prison sentence. The judge gave a five-year sentence for both counts of reckless homicide, served consecutively, but with a total of five years suspended. Heredia has 490 credit days for time already served, so he will spend less than four years in prison.
"You never get what you want," said Pat Ross, Ashley's father. "That's the best we got. We've got to move on with our lives. And he did admit to killing two wonderful people. To get that time, that's the best we can get."
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears issued a statement following the sentencing:
"Today, family members shared their heartfelt stories about how Ashley and Grant utilized their expertise and passions to leave a lasting impact on those around them. The families have carried themselves with such grace throughout this incredibly painful journey. We hope with the conclusion of the criminal case, they may find some solace as they continue to honor the legacies Ashley and Grant have left behind."