Eight years after their deaths, the families of a young Lafayette couple shot and burned remembered their loved ones as the murder trial of their accused killer concluded.
On Thursday, 23-year-old Ashley Metz and 22-year-old Brouklynn Hill’s accused killer was found guilty of murder. Joshua Willis, 39, of Lafayette, was convicted of first-degree murder in Metz’s death and second-degree murder in Hill’s death following a nine-day trial.
Metz and Hill were each found shot and burned inside vehicles in Lafayette Parish in the early morning hours of June 21, 2016. Hill was found on Disett Road in Carencro, while Metz was found on Old Spanish Trail in Scott.
The charges each carry a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
In closing arguments Thursday, prosecutor Alan Haney argued the evidence clearly pointed to Willis as the shooter and arsonist: The 39-year-old's nephew, who was also charged in the case, testified against him; Metz’s house keys and phone were found in his home, along with the gun investigators said was a match for casings found beside Metz’s burned car; and phone records and GPS data supported Sylvester’s statements, among other evidence, he said.
In the defense’s closing arguments, attorney Sean Collins argued Willis’s nephew, 29-year-old Joseph Sylvester, placed the blame for the killings on his uncle, and police, by not conducting a thorough enough investigation, built their case around the wrong man.
Police were alerted to Willis as a suspect after Sylvester named him as the shooter. Sylvester was similarly charged in the homicides but pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and aggravated burglary in 2021. He testified in the case; his 40-year sentence could be reduced as a result of his testimony.
Collins argued Hill and Sylvester had an established relationship and history of stealing vehicles together, not Hill and Willis. He said evidence suggested Sylvester wanted Hill out of the business and after killing him and Metz, he saw an opportunity to pin the bulk of the blame on his uncle, since he held the physical evidence. Collins said Sylvester was untrustworthy, with evidence pointing to him lying about selling drugs while incarcerated post-plea deal.
The defense attorney said there was also evidence that challenged the timeline of events Sylvester gave police about Hill’s death, including surveillance footage a defense expert witness said showed the moment the car Hill was inside was lit on fire, later than Sylvester claimed.
“He has every motivation to lie to you. This is something he’s been planning since 2016,” he said to the jury.
The verdict brings to a close an almost eight-year saga for the families of Metz and Hill.
Carla Dean, Metz’s mother, said she has structured her life around the court process, stepping away from full-time work so she could have a more flexible schedule to attend court dates. With the trial concluded, she’s ready to move forward.
Dean said she’s been at peace about her daughter’s death; the two were close and had no tension or unfinished business between them when Metz died.
"I’ve been seeing her in dreams in the last few months. But since the trial started, nothing. I think it’s her sign that everything will be alright,” Dean said Tuesday.
While she feels a sense of peace, Dean said you “never really adapt” to life without one of your children. For a long time, Dean would wake up around 2:30 a.m. most nights, roughly around the time that Metz was kidnapped and killed. You learn to keep going, she and her eldest daughter, Jasmine Etienne, said.
Metz was consistently positive, exuberant and witty. A go-getter with a big, beautiful smile who loved watching "SpongeBob," performing karaoke with her older sister and modeling, which she was pursuing as a career, they said. She was a protective sister, not scared to speak up in defense of the more reserved Etienne. She was also a bad driver, the women said with a chuckle.
Etienne has similarly dreamed of her sister.
The 35-year-old is a photographer, but never had the opportunity to photograph Metz before her death. One night, Etienne dreamed of her sister, seeing her through the viewfinder of her camera. She felt it was a sign from Metz to keep pursuing her passion as she navigated her grief.
Questions about her sister’s death still take up space in Etienne’s mind, she said.
“I struggle with how it was done. Wondering what her thoughts were, how she felt – if she was scared. How she may have wanted our help,” Etienne said.
The question still lingering in the mind of Brouklynn Hill’s sister, Sharra Foy, is “why?” The 28-year-old said she can’t fathom what could have been worth killing her brother over.
Foy and Hill were the middle children of four and had a tight-knit relationship.
The 28-year-old described her older brother as charismatic, rambunctious, funny, helpful, protective of her and nosy like a typical big brother. His rambunctious spirit earned him the childhood nickname “Bamm-Bamm,” and she was “Pebbles,” inspired by the “The Flintstones,” she said.
One aspect of the trial was the relationship between Sylvester and Hill and their history of stealing cars and taking valuables from vehicles.
Hill’s mistakes aren’t the sum of his character, Foy said. Everyone makes choices, and not all of them are good. He was a good person who was loved and had goals for himself; he was interested in engineering, always building something, and was enrolling in classes at South Louisiana Community College when he died, she said.
"I’m in his corner and I’m going to be here forever,” Foy said.
Hill’s loss wasn’t the only death Foy’s family has weathered in recent years. Within months of her brother’s shooting, their mother and grandmother both died. Foy said she’s lost a family member or loved one almost every year since. As a result of all the loss, Foy said she doesn’t plan too big.
The 28-year-old is preparing to graduate from nursing school and has a 6-year-old son who looks so much like her deceased brother. There are many moments Foy wishes she could share with Hill, and she still struggles seeing the close relationships friends and others enjoy with their siblings. There’s a wave of emotion each time seeing them enjoy the relationship she wishes she still had, she said.
Foy said she still feels her brother in spirit, but wishes he were here with her physically.
“He was one of the pieces of our family that brought everybody together. He was one of the hearts and souls,” Foy said.
Advocate staff reporter Ashley White contributed to this report.