LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Elijah Henderson, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of involuntary manslaughter in court in St. Charles, Missouri, in connection to the death of two mother-daughter pairs from Louisville in 2020.
Carrie McCaw, 44; Lesley Prather, 40; Kacey McCaw, 12 and Rhyan Prather, 12, were killed in an accident on Feb. 14, 2020, on Interstate 64 outside St. Louis. The group was on its way from Louisville to a volleyball tournament in Kansas City.
IMAGES | Public lines procession route to remember 4 killed in St. Louis crash
Crowds line Bardstown Road for the procession. Feb. 17, 2020Â
Friends are bringing candles to give to people who show up at St. Raphael as the procession drives by. They said they wanted to provide some light in this darkness.
Firefighters arrive before the procession at the funeral home on Bardstown Road. Feb. 17, 2020.Â
Crowds lined up early outside Assumption High School to honor the KIVA players and their mothers killed in a crash in St. Louis. Feb. 17, 2020Â
A procession honoring KIVA players and their mothers killed in a crash in St. Louis rolled down Interstate 64 and in to Louisville. Feb. 17, 2020Â
People waved flags from the overpass on Interstate 64, as the procession carrying two KIVA players and their mother passed by. Feb. 17, 2020Â
New Albany Fire personnel set up flags before the procession honoring two KIVA players and their mother that were killed in a crash in St. Louis. Feb. 17, 2020Â
New Albany Fire personnel set up flags before the procession honoring two KIVA players and their mother that were killed in a crash in St. Louis. Feb. 17, 2020Â
New Albany Fire personnel set up flags before the procession honoring two KIVA players and their mother that were killed in a crash in St. Louis. Feb. 17, 2020Â
The Falls City team lined up to honor the KIVA players and their mothers killed in a crash in St. Louis. Feb. 17, 2020.
The St. Louis Fire Dept. stood vigil with the victims of the crash and lined the procession, as their bodies left for Louisville.Â
The St. Louis Fire Dept. stood vigil with the victims of the crash and lined the procession, as their bodies left for Louisville.Â
The St. Louis Fire Dept. stood vigil with the victims of the crash and lined the procession, as their bodies left for Louisville.Â
Henderson was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for each count, according to the St. Charles County Prosecutor's Office. His sentence for each count will run concurrently and also run concurrently with a sentence he’s already serving for a probation violation. He went to prison on that charge last August, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
A police investigation revealed that Henderson's pickup truck crashed through the cable barrier on I-64 and crossed into the oncoming lanes, hitting a minivan carrying the four victims. According to court documents, Henderson tried to grab the handle to roll up the passenger side window, which caused him to veer into oncoming traffic.
A toxicology report revealed his blood tested positive for THC.
Lesley Prather was a Louisville firefighter. She began working at the Louisville Division of Fire in October 2016 and spent her entire career serving west Louisville with Engine Company 22.
Both Prather and McCaw coached a 10-year old volleyball team at KIVA. Sixth-grader Kacey McCaw and 7th-grader Rhyan Prather played for one of KIVA's national volleyball teams, according to KIVA's website. Ron Kordes, the president and director of KIVA, described both girls as "wonderful young daughters" who were following in their mothers' footsteps.
Related Stories:
- Condolences pour in for Louisville residents killed in crash outside St. Louis
- Louisville firefighter, youth volleyball coach, 2 kids killed in crash outside St. Louis
Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
