Kansas Judge Convicts Driver in Deadly Crash That Killed Teacher Days After Unrelated Guilty Verdict in Her Widower's Death

A Kansas judge has found Todd W. Armstrong guilty of vehicular homicide for a head-on crash on April 11, 2024, that killed 24-year-old elementary school teacher Ashleigh Boyd and injured her infant daughter, Eleanor. The bench verdict was announced days after a Louisiana jury convicted a woman in the drugging death of Boyd's widower, TV reporter Adan Manzano.

Bench Verdict, Evidence and Legal Context

Armstrong, 55, faced a one-day bench trial in which Judge Andrew Holmes delivered the guilty finding, victim's father Brian Hinck said. Armstrong had pleaded not guilty; sentencing was tentatively scheduled for November, according to Hinck. Late Monday, neither the Topeka district attorney's office nor Armstrong's attorney could be reached for comment.

Court records and local reporting say investigators found Armstrong's pickup had been parked for about five hours at a Kansas City casino the morning of the crash. Prosecutors allege the truck crossed into oncoming traffic and struck Boyd's sedan head-on. Boyd, a teacher at Lowman Hill Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene; her infant daughter was injured and later taken into care by Boyd's parents.

Those same records and reporting note a urine drug screen showing cocaine metabolites in Armstrong's system. However, Armstrong's attorney successfully argued to exclude that test result from the bench trial, and investigators reported no obvious mechanical defects — despite Armstrong's claim that a blown tire or mechanical failure caused the collision.

Related Louisiana Case: The Death of Adan Manzano

Separately, Boyd's widower, Adan Manzano, a reporter for the Spanish-language Telemundo affiliate in Kansas City, died in suburban New Orleans in February 2025 while in town to cover Super Bowl LIX. Authorities say Manzano was targeted by a group that covertly drugged victims in the French Quarter, rendering them unconscious and stealing their phones and bank cards.

An autopsy found Manzano, a native of Toluca, Mexico, had asphyxiated after ingesting a mix of alcohol and the depressant Xanax. After a four-day trial, a Jefferson Parish jury convicted Danette Colbert of negligent homicide and found Colbert and alleged accomplice Rickey White guilty of racketeering. Colbert had separately received a 25-year sentence for violating probation on prior convictions; Colbert and White's sentencing was tentatively scheduled for September 28. A third defendant, Christian Anderson, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and testified against them.

Family Reaction and Broader Concerns

Hinck and his wife, Nicole, are raising Boyd and Manzano's daughter, three-year-old Eleanor, after the parents died 10 months apart. Hinck has said the timing of the two trials and some outcomes — including that vehicular homicide in Kansas is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum of one year in jail — have left the family frustrated with the criminal justice system.

"The disappointment in the justice system is at a peak level in our house," Hinck told reporters. "We don't talk about it with her. The only thing she knows is her mom and dad are in heaven, and she will see them one day."

The family has emphasized protecting Eleanor from the legal details as they continue to care for her.