SAUGUS — William Leger, 40, of Salem, was sentenced in Essex County Superior Court on Tuesday in relation to the death of 19-year-old nursing student Ashley Forward, of Lynn, in Saugus.
On June 9, 2021, Leger robbed the 7-Eleven on Lincoln Avenue in Saugus and fled from police. He drove a stolen vehicle south in the northbound lanes of Route 107 and collided with Forward’s vehicle, according to the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker. Forward was killed in the crash, and Leger pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter, unarmed robbery, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
The sentencing occurred exactly five years to the day of Forward’s death. Her sister, Jillian Forward, and mother, Michelle Luongo, both spoke in memory of her.
“Today is the day I have yearned and feared as the younger sister of Ashley Forward. Today marks the five year anniversary of my sister’s passing, and that is exactly 1,286 days, 43,838 hours since the tragedy that left many in grief,” Jillian Forward said.
She continued to remember her time with her sister.
“You taught to me how to learn, how to play. … We ran the field and chased the setting sun, adventures waiting for us one by one. You’re my guide, my partner, and my shield,” she said.
Jillian Forward spoke about the loss of her sister, the moment she found out about the crash, and what she endured after it happened.
“I want to make my family proud … my friends proud (and) my community proud, and most of all I want to make her proud,” she said.
Luongo said she was there to speak for her daughter because she no longer had a voice.
“Ashley was a remarkable young woman with a bright future ahead of her,” Luongo said. “She was kind, compassionate, and always willing to help others no matter what. … Nursing was not just a career choice for her — it reflected who she was. She wanted to care for people, to comfort them, and to heal them. Her life mattered deeply — not just to her family, her friends, or the community where she gave so much of her time, but to the people she would have helped along the way.”
Leger received a sentence of 18-20 years in state prison for the manslaughter charge, to be followed by five years of probation from and after that, the DA’s office stated.
