In a tragic New Year's Eve incident, Joshua Nassaru Ward, drummer of North Carolina death metal band Voraath, was killed along with three others in a drunk driving collision. The victims included Ward's fiancee Zelena, and friends Audrey Maris Ross (29) and Amanda Lynn Leroux (30).

The accident occurred just after 9 PM in Greenville, South Carolina, when a BMW driven by Nicholas Shane Meeks (31) struck Ward's Subaru SUV as it was pulling out of a driveway. The impact forced the Subaru off the road and into a tree, resulting in the deaths of all four occupants.

Meeks, who was driving with a suspended license, has been charged with four counts of felony DUI involving death and was denied bond. Records show he had a previous DUI charge from March 2024, to which he pled guilty, receiving a personal recognizance bond of $993.

Ward was a member of the rising metal band Voraath, which had recently celebrated the release of their debut full-length album "Vol. 1: The Hymn of the Hunters" in June 2024. Hours before the tragedy, the band had shared their recent accomplishments on social media. Ward had also posted a New Year's message with his young son, Kai, on Facebook that day.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established for Ward's family, raising over $20,000 to date.

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