A North Carolina couple stood before a judge after pleading guilty in connection to the car crash that killed their 7-year-old son, Legend — with the prosecutor asking the court for compassion rather than incarceration.
Samuele Jenkins, 31, and Jessica Ivey, 30, parents of six children, were charged after their son Legend was fatally struck by a car while crossing West Hudson Boulevard in Gastonia on May 27. Following an investigation, police charged both parents with felony involuntary manslaughter, felony child abuse, and misdemeanor child neglect.
According to the Gastonia Police Department, Jenkins and Ivey allowed Legend and his 10-year-old brother to walk across a busy street unaccompanied to pick up food from a nearby Subway restaurant.
During the sentencing hearing, covered by WSOC-TV, prosecutor Joshua Warner recounted the tragic details. He said Legend was hit by a 76-year-old driver in a Jeep Cherokee. The older brother, who was with Legend, tried to pull him out of the path of the vehicle but was too late.
Defense attorney Chuck Lifford, representing Jenkins, told the court it was Jenkins’ decision to send the boys to pick up the food — a decision Ivey reportedly opposed. Jenkins believed he could manage the situation remotely via cellphone. Surveillance footage from the Subway parking lot showed the 10-year-old on the phone while Legend carried a large bag of food.
Prosecutors added that Ivey was captured on nearby security footage leaving a Food Lion at the time. Although she claimed the boys insisted on walking home alone, Warner told the court, “That exchange never happened.” There was no communication between Ivey and the children before they attempted to cross the road.
Despite the serious charges, Warner told the court he approached the case with deep sorrow. “I stand here with a heavy heart and can’t imagine the grief they are experiencing,” he said. “Those children need their parents.” He described how the surviving brother had to witness his sibling’s death — a trauma that, he said, would haunt him for life.
The driver involved in the crash was not charged and fully cooperated with authorities.
District Attorney Travis Page echoed the call for leniency. “There is no prison or punishment worse than a parent living with the knowledge that their actions led to the death of their own child,” he said. “These parents don’t need prison — they need mercy, grace, and the support of a community to ensure tragedies like this never happen again.”
Ultimately, both Jenkins and Ivey received suspended sentences of 19 to 32 months in prison, along with three years of probation, after pleading guilty to negligent child abuse.
In a brief but emotional statement to the court, Jenkins said, “All I got to say is, long live Legend.”
