The man was supposed to be their son-in-law. But a moment of reckless driving changed everything and veered the two families onto a much darker path that culminated in a Jackson County courtroom on Wednesday.
Todd and Shelly Albertson, facing the man who was once betrothed to their late daughter but now faced punishment for her death, wanted him to know that despite their horrific loss, they’ve chosen to not their anger take over.
“It’s not about forgiveness or forgetting, it’s about choosing to love,” Todd Albertson said. “You’re my family. Ashlea is my family. We lost her and we lost a little bit of you as well.”
Jacob Kelly was charged in connection with the death of their daughter, 24-year-old Ashlea Albertson, who was a decorated member of Tony Stewart Racing as a TQ Midget car driver. She was also Kelly’s fiancée.
She died from her injuries following a crash on I-65 on Aug. 18, 2023. An investigation by Indiana State Police determined the crash resulted from road rage between Kelly and another driver who were both rapidly accelerating and refusing to allow each other to pass.
The Greenfield parents were among many family members who spoke Wednesday during Kelly’s sentencing, which ended with him avoiding jail time in exchange for five years on probation for reckless homicide.
Police said Kelly lost control of the vehicle after the driver of the other car, Austin Cooper, went in the path of his car. The move caused the drivers to collide in the middle lane. Ashlea Albertson, a passenger in Kelly’s car, was thrown from the vehicle. Cooper also faced charges in the crash and was sentenced in July after pleading guilty to causing death when operating a motor vehicle in an agreement ordered five years on probation and avoided additional jail time.
Shelly Albertson said her stepdaughter’s death has created a missing piece in their family. In a statement to the court, she described picturing her daughter coming through their front door on Christmas and joking about where Santa left her present. She also expressed that she felt her daughter’s absence, and Kelly’s, on Thanksgiving.
The young couple’s future was supposed to include a wedding, children and a long life together.
“Which is why I can’t wrap my head around the choices made that day,” she expressed to Kelly, calling his driving before the crash “just too risky.”
Addressing Kelly directly, Shelly Albertson then said she does not wish him to suffer.
“I acknowledge your pain and the wish you have told me multiple times for you to take Ashlea’s place,” she said. “I don’t want you to be miserable. I pray for you to be better.”
In the year and a half since their daughter’s death, the Albertsons have been outspoken about their forgiveness in the deadly crash and how they’ve used the tragedy to advocate for safe driving – including Todd Albertson speaking at safe driving schools “even though it’s painful.”
“My wish is for us all to be better from this by treating others with respect always and making good choices in times of distress,” she said. “I also just want Ashlea to be remembered.”
Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Family shows tearful forgiveness in race car driver’s killing