Guilty Plea's were filed in a St. Louis, Missouri Circuit Courtroom on Thursday, May 7, 2024, marking the culmination of a jury trial held 12 months and 2 weeks after former Smyrna High School standout volleyball player and current MTSU student Janae Edmondson lost both of her legs due to the defendant's actions.

On the evening of February 18, 2023, the Edmondson family was walking to their hotel room after attending a volleyball tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. As they approached the hotel, an SUV driven by 22-year-old Daniel Riley lost control and collided with a parked vehicle. The impact was so severe that it pushed the parked car into Edmondson, who was 17 years old at the time, trapping her between two cars. Her father, a former Army Medic, quickly tied his belt around one of her legs to stop the flow of blood while working to slow the blood flow on her other leg until paramedics arrived.

As a result of the crash, Edmondson suffered catastrophic injuries and was rushed to an area hospital where doctors were forced to amputate both of her legs due to the severity of her wounds.

Riley was reportedly speeding and ignored a yield sign, leading to the crash that robbed Edmondson of her physical abilities and shattered her dreams of playing competitive sports at the collegiate level. In fact, she had already been granted a scholarship to play volleyball at UT-Southern, just prior to the incident that nearly took her life.

Following the incident, police in St. Louis arrested Riley and charged him with second-degree assault, armed criminal action, and operating a vehicle without a valid license – charges which would later grow more extensive upon an indictment. Riley was also on bond at the time of the incident and may have violated court orders by simply being outside his home while under house arrest.

On Thursday, Judge Michael Warren Noble's courtroom heard four guilty verdicts rendered against Riley. According to court documents, the jury found him guilty of assault in the second degree, armed criminal action, and assault in the fourth degree. However, Riley was found not guilty on one count of assault in the fourth degree. Additionally, he was found guilty of driving without a valid license.

Riley was subsequently sentenced to 18 years and 9 months in prison. It remains unclear whether he will receive credit for time served, as it was discovered after his arrest that he was already out of jail and on bond when the crash occurred. Nonetheless, he will be 40 years old upon completing his sentence.

• See the previous News Story HERE.