CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A Mobile, Alabama man has been sentenced to serve six years in prison for the shooting death of 19-year-old Ashley Ashworth of Clarksville in 2016.
According to court records, Demarkus Ely, 21, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in July 2018 and was sentenced to serve six years in prison. He was originally charged with second degree murder.
As a special condition of his sentence, Ely will be required to complete 100 hours of community service, which may include speaking at schools and jails about gun violence.
Ashworth was shot in the head during an altercation on the 1500 block of Cedar Springs Circle in September 2016. Police said Ely admitted to getting into an argument at a party and firing two “warning shots” toward the crowd, ultimately striking Ashworth. She was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center where she died from her injuries.