FORT WORTH, Texas — A Tarrant County jury has sentenced a woman to life in prison after she pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter in the death of Fort Worth Police Sgt. Billy Randolph.
De Aujalae Evans, 26, entered the guilty plea, and on March 30, 2026, jurors handed down the life sentence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Lloyd Whelchel and Brittane Hamilton.
“There have to be consequences to actions or nothing we do up here matters,” Whelchel told the jury during closing arguments. “Sgt. Billy Randolph died the way he lived - serving you. Give justice to the life he lived by sentencing her to life.”
The charges stem from an August 12, 2024 crash on Interstate 35W in south Fort Worth, where Randolph, a 29-year veteran of the police department, was assisting with an early morning crash investigation.
Prosecutors said Evans was driving the wrong way on an interstate exit ramp when her vehicle struck the 56-year-old sergeant. After the crash, Evans continued driving about a quarter-mile before stopping.
“She drove her car 100 yards past where Sgt. Billy Randolph lay bleeding out,” Hamilton told jurors. Evans then exited her vehicle and attempted to run from the scene before being apprehended by officers.
Authorities reported Evans showed signs of intoxication, including slurred speech, watery eyes, and unsteady balance. She told officers she had consumed more than 10 shots of tequila prior to the crash.
Testing later showed her blood alcohol concentration was 0.12% several hours after the crash, above the legal limit of 0.08%. A toxicologist testified her BAC was likely significantly higher at the time of the collision.
Officers transported Randolph to the hospital in a patrol vehicle while performing CPR, but he later died from blunt-force head trauma.
Hamilton described Randolph as “a husband, a father, a son, a GPop, a brother, a protector, and a mentor,” urging jurors to impose a sentence that ensured Evans “cannot outrun accountability.”
District Attorney Phil Sorrells praised the Fort Worth Police Department and those involved in the case.
“Sgt. Randolph's death is a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face every day,” Sorrells said. “Our office is proud to have helped secure justice for him and his family.”
Sorrells also recognized the work of prosecutors, investigators, and victim coordinators who assisted in the case.
