A Raleigh County woman has pleaded guilty in connection with a fatal car crash that occurred earlier this year.
According to the Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Destany Lester, of Beckley, entered her guilty plea during a hearing held Monday, December 8, 2025. She faces three to 15 years in prison for her role in the death of 24-year-old Baylea Bower, of Bloomingdale.
Lester is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2026.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Bower died on April 20, 2025, following a head-on collision on the Coalfields Expressway. Investigators say Lester was impaired by alcohol and cocaine at the time of the crash and was traveling more than 97 miles per hour just five seconds before impact.
The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office previously released information about the investigation into the fatal accident.