Esque Sentenced To 25 Years
Jason Esque will serve 25 years in prison for his role in the accident that took the life of Donnie Coleman last March.
Esque, 39, was sentenced in Buena Vista Circuit Court last week to 45 years in prison with 20 years suspended after being convicted of multiple charges earlier this year.
The charges included involuntary manslaughter and felony homicide for the death of Coleman and a charge of driving under the influence resulting in serious injury for injuries sustained by Deborah Teague, Coleman’s girlfriend, who was in the car with him when the accident occurred.
Esque was also convicted of one felony count of failing to stop at the scene of an accident that resulted in serious injury (hit and run), one felony count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended or revoked license and one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence.
On the night of March 10, 2025, Esque drove a car which had been rented from Enterprise by his fiancé through a residential neighborhood in Buena Vista at a high rate of speed, colliding with a vehicle driven by Coleman at the intersection of 22nd street and Maple Avenue.
Esque struck the driver’s side of Coleman’s car and Coleman died in the hospital on March 14. Evidence presented at trial showed that Esque had methamphetamine and marijuana in his system when he was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of the accident.
Judge Christopher Russell sentenced Esque to the maximum sentence of 20 years for the involuntary manslaughter and to 30 years with 10 suspended for the felony homicide charge. Those sentences will be served concurrently, but consecutive to the sentences for the three other felonies and two misdemeanors Esque was convicted of.
For the felony charge of driving while intoxicated and causing serious injury, Esque was sentenced to five years with three suspended. For the felony charge of hit and run, he was sentenced to five years with four suspended. For the felony charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, he was sentenced to four years with three suspended. For each of the misdemeanor charges, he was sentenced to six months in prison.
In his closing arguments, Buena Vista Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Elrod asked for a 25-year sentence for Esque, noting that it was “above the midway point” of the sentencing guidelines that had been prepared for the court to consider (the guidelines recommended a sentence between 18 and 30 years, with 24 being the midway point). He noted Esque’s extensive history of drug-related offenses in Rockbridge County, Lexington, and several surrounding counties over the past 20 years, as well as several convictions for driving with a suspended or revoked license dating back to 2012.
“The thing about risk is when somebody runs a risk, he’s not just running it for himself, but for the public,” Elrod said. “Mr. Esque continued to roll the dice and roll the dice and in March of 2025, it came up Snake Eyes.”
Jessica Armstrong, Esque’s attorney, requested a sentence of 16 years, noting that she arrived at that number based on the average life expectancy in Rockbridge County being 81 years. Coleman was 73 when he died, and Armstrong asked for a sentence of eight years for taking those years from Coleman and eight years for the loss of the time Teague would have had with him in their relationship.
She also noted that Esque had “come to terms with the actions he’s taken,” and that he has found God, something that Esque attributes to Coleman’s forgiveness after the accident.
Armstrong also presented the court with a letter Esque wrote to the Public Defender’s office in January. In the letter, Esque said that he is “not the same person that ran that stop sign,” adding that he believes “everything happens for a reason, even when we don’t understand the reasons.
“I can’t tell you why I ran that stop sign or how the accident happened,” he wrote. “I don’t remember any of it. I do know that if it wasn’t for the accident, I myself would have never found God and asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. I’d still be a lost soul with no purpose.
“I can’t bring Mr. Coleman back,” he continued. “He wouldn’t want me to, I’m sure. He’s in heaven. I never met him before the accident, but I now know that one day I’ll be able to. One day I’ll get to look him in the eyes and apologize to him for what I did, but also thank him for what he did. Even after death, he saved my life and I can’t wait to shake his hand in Heaven.” -Several members of Coleman’s family testified at the sentencing hearing, many of whom mentioned that Coleman had asked about “the other driver” and what condition he was in.
Coleman’s son, Donnie Coleman Jr., said that after hearing that the other driver was okay, his father said “God bless his heart. Everybody makes mistakes.” Dawn Coleman, Donnie Coleman’s daughter-in-law, said that, in his final moments of consciousness, Coleman forgave Esque.
Coleman’s family also testified about the loss they’ve been grieving since March 14, 2025, and how much he meant to them.
“I not only lost my dad, I lost my hero and best friend,” Donnie Coleman Jr. said. “I used to call him every day just to talk and no matter how I was feeling, I always hung up the phone feeling better.”
Coleman’s granddaughter, Breanna Coleman, talked about how her grandfather didn’t get to see her graduate from James Madison University earlier this year, or her older sister graduate from Christopher Newport University last spring. She also talked about how he wouldn’t see her “walk down the aisle or meet my kids someday.”
“I don’t think I understood how big his love was until I had to live in a world without him in it,” she said.
Teague took the stand and testified, describing the ongoing treatment she’s undergoing for the injuries she sustained in the accident, the full extent of which is still being discovered. She said that as the swelling from the accident has gone down, other injuries have revealed themselves, including the fact that her knees are misaligned. She also said that she still has nightmares about the accident, which she said her therapist told her “probably won’t ever” completely go away.
Teague also talked about the loss of her relationship with Coleman, whom she had known since she was 13 and he was 14.
“I feel very lonely because I lost a friend,” she said. “Going to church and knowing he’s not there is hard. … I don’t know if there’s words that can express the loss, the emptiness that someone you’ve known for 60 years is no longer there.”
Teague concluded her testimony by saying that she forgave Esque, because “Donnie would have wanted that.” -Esque also had witnesses who testified on his behalf.
Angela Higgins, who was Esque’s fiancé at the time of the accident, testified about their relationship and how they had been “off and on for years.” She acknowledged that Esque had a history of drug use that caused issues in their relationship, but said that when he wasn’t using drugs, he was a good father to the 8-year-old daughter they had together and the teenage son she had from a previous relationship that Esque helped raise from a young age.
“This has been affecting our family very much,” she said. “Our son couldn’t come testify today, because it’s been too hard for him. We can’t explain it to our daughter. … She doesn’t know what happened, just that he sent someone to heaven.”
Curtis Snead, a friend of Esque’s, also spoke on his behalf, testifying about Esque’s relationship with his children.
“Jason is a very good guy, especially to his kids,” he said. “He tries to be there and support them.”
Several members of Higgins’ family also planned to attend the hearing and testify on Esque’s behalf, but were unable to due to a family medical emergency. They wrote letters to the court in which they also talked about Esque’s love for his children and also acknowledged his struggle with addiction and how that affected him and his decision making.
“The drugs slowly changed him into someone I barely recognized,” wrote John Higgins, Esque’s brother-in-law. “The person I knew became consumed by addiction, and it affected his judgment, his decisions and his relationships. I truly believe that drugs led him down a path that he never intended to take. It was heartbreaking to watch someone with so much potential lose themselves to addiction.”
“Even during those difficult years, I also saw the caring person behind the addiction,” wrote Norman Ervine, Esque’s nephew. “When he was sober, he loved his children deeply and wanted to be a good parent. I saw moments of kindness, generosity, and love that reminded me he was much more than his struggles. Unfortunately, addiction and unresolved trauma often overshadowed those qualities.”
In their letters, they also acknowledged the seriousness of the crimes of which Esque had been convicted and said that they weren’t asking those to be overlooked.
“I believe people should be held accountable for their actions,” Irvine wrote. “I only ask that the Court also consider the years of trauma, addiction, and emotional pain that affected their life and decision making. Those experiences to not justify what happened, but they are part of the story of how he arrived here.
“I have seen genuine remorse and sorrow and I believe he is deeply affected by the consequences of his actions,” he continued. “I also believe he is capable of growth and rehabilitation if given the opportunity to continue receiving treatment and support.”
Higgins concluded his letter by stating that he still believes Esque to be “more than the worst decision he has ever made.”
“I have seen kindness, love for his family and a desire to be a better person,” he wrote. “I believe he is capable of continuing to grow, accept responsibility, and work toward becoming the man his children deserve.”
Prior to being sentenced, an emotional Esque addressed Coleman’s family.
“There’s nothing I can do or say to take the pain away,” he said. “Mr. Coleman forgave me, and I’m asking you to forgive me too. I’m so sorry.”
