Liberty Township woman to serve two years for tragic crash that killed Lakota freshman

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Liberty Township woman to serve two years for tragic crash that killed Lakota freshman

An 18-year-old Liberty Township woman has been sentenced to two years in prison for a Middletown crash that killed a 14-year-old Lakota West freshman.

Rebecca Kumar appeared in court Wednesday after pleading guilty to four felony charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, in November for the crash that killed 14-year-old Laith Masri.

Kumar lost control of her 2015 Cadillac SUV and flipped into a wooded area on March 23 around 11:15 p.m. She had five passengers in the car, including Masri, who died on the scene.

The crash injured Kumar, two 14-year-old passengers, a 12-year-old passenger, and a 15-year-old passenger.

In November, prosecutors stated that those injured continue to face long-term physical challenges as a result of their injuries.

Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Katie Pridemore previously stated in court that Kumar drove at 103 mph in a 35 mph zone at the time of the crash.

Investigators revealed in court Wednesday that Kumar was over the legal alcohol limit at the time of the crash.

On Wednesday, Judge Gregory Howard received letters from both Kumar and Masri’s families. Masri’s family also attended the hearing from Jordan.

“She destroyed our life,” the 14-year-old’s family told the court.

Kumar, a freshman at the University of Cincinnati, told Howard that she accepts full responsibility for the accident and will bear the consequences for the rest of her life.

Her defense team also informed the judge that she was deeply affected by the crash and was suffering from depression.

The defense also claimed Kumar’s mother sent flowers to the Masri family, but they did not respond.

Howard lectured Kumar for several minutes about her actions that night before sentencing her to 24 months for aggravated vehicular homicide and 12 months for each of her three vehicular assault charges.

The year-long sentences will run concurrently with her aggravated vehicular homicide sentence, for a total of two years in prison. Kumar’s driver’s license will be suspended for ten years.

Kumar was originally sentenced to more than seven years in prison for the crash, but Howard said the two-year sentence was appropriate given the gravity of the situation.

After Kumar was arrested following her sentencing, Masri’s father pleaded with Howard for a harsher punishment.

Kumar’s defense attorney, Jonathan Fox, stated that Howard considered Kumar’s lack of record before sentencing her.

“(It) could have been a lot worse,” Fox explained. “He could have run them all consecutively, but he did so concurrently. It is something she will have to live with for the rest of her life.

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