A drunk driver who left the scene of a deadly accident in St. Joseph County was sentenced today. Kyle T. Papa, 23, pleaded guilty to a class B felony and will serve ten years in prison.
Papa was initially charged with five separate counts. Four of them were dropped in a plea deal, leaving only the most serious charge: Leaving the Scene of an Accident after Operating While Intoxicated Causing Serious Bodily Injury.
Papa will serve ten years in Indiana state prison. Another five years have been suspended and will instead be served on probation. Papa is being forced to pay restitution and will have his license suspended for two years upon release. Judge John Marnocha oversaw the trial and sentencing.
As we reported in July, Papa was driving a van on June 15, 2014 with a twenty-four year old female passenger, Amanda Ezra. According to the prosecutor’s office, Ezra was leaning out of the front passenger side window when Papa jumped a curb in a cul-de-sac near Chestnut Street in Osceola. Ezra struck her head on a guide wire and then the side of the van, dying from her injuries. Ezra was a Mishawaka resident and mother of three children.
“Some of the restitution monies is to be paid to Amanda Ezra’s family and another portion of the restitution monies is to be paid to the Indiana Violent Crime Victim Compensation Fund,” the prosecutor’s office told the South Bend Voice.
————
