It was dubbed the “wedding of the century” when viral videos of Madelaine Brockway and Jacob LaGrone’s lavish nuptials began popping up out of nowhere on social media. Now, the groom is facing a possible life sentence for allegedly shooting at three police officers.
LaGrone, 29, and his now-wife Brockway, 27, became influencers overnight following their five-day wedding celebration in Paris, France, last month. A rehearsal dinner at the Paris Opera house, an overnight stay at the Palace of Versailles, and a private Maroon 5 concert at their wedding reception were just some of the elaborate festivities that made up this viral wedding, which some people have estimated cost upwards of $59m.
However, just eight months ago, LaGrone was indicted on three counts of aggravated assault on a public servant in Texas - a first-degree felony in the state, according to the Washington Post. On Thursday 30 November, LaGrone appeared at the Tarrant County Courthouse in Fort Worth, where he attended a motion hearing about the charges. His wife was not in attendance.
The alleged incident took place on 14 March, when Westworth Village police officers responded to multiple disturbance calls, city officials said. When they arrived, officers were reportedly “fired upon” by LaGrone. The indictment obtained by the Washington Post states that LaGrone “did intentionally and knowingly threaten imminent bodily injury” to the officers and “did use or exhibit a deadly weapon during the commission of the assault, namely, a firearm”.
In Texas, any crime against a police officer that results in serious bodily injury is a first-degree felony, punishable anywhere from five to 99 years or life in prison. After the alleged incident, LaGrone was arrested and later released on a $20,000 bond, per the Dallas Morning News. In August, he was offered a plea bargain deal of 25 years in prison by the Tarrant County district attorney’s office.
On 18 November, LaGrone and his fiancée tied the knot at the Chateau de Villette outside of Paris. On TikTok, one user described the week-long celebration as “the most stunning wedding in the world,” while another called it the “most beautiful wedding my eyes have ever been blessed to see”.
Brockway documented the festivities on Instagram and TikTok, where she showed clips of her bachelorette weekend at five-star luxury Utah resort Amangiri, a private lunch at the Chanel Haute Couture Suite, and a rehearsal dinner, which took place at the Palais Garnier - one of the most famous opera houses in the world.
Because the soon-to-be bride seemingly had very little social media presence prior to the nuptials, it didn’t come as a surprise when thousands of TikTok users wondered exactly how much the wedding had cost. According to her LinkedIn, Brockway is a graduate from Texas Christian University and a self-employed entrepreneur living in Fort Worth. Her father, Robert “Bob” Brockway, is the chairman and CEO of Bill Ussery Motors - the parent company of Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables and Mercedes-Benz of Cutler Bay in Florida. As for LaGrone, he graduated from University of Mississippi, according to LinkedIn, and last worked as a production assistant for country music singer Jason Aldean in 2018.
Neither Brockway nor LaGrone have publicly commented on the charges. Since his appearance in Tarrant County court on Thursday, Brockway’s TikTok account has been deleted and her Instagram has been made private.
The Independent has contacted LaGrone’s attorney for comment.
