TOWSON, Md. — The trial of Lisa Lea, the woman charged with killing six construction workers in a 2023 crash on I-695, was set to start on Monday, November 3.
That trial has been canceled and replaced with a plea hearing set for Tuesday, November 4, according to electronic court records.
The March 2023 crash left the four families of the six victims heartbroken.
MORE: Husband of I-695 crash victim shares their heartbreaking love story
Mahlon Simmons II, Mahlon Simmons III, Jose Escobar, Carlos Escobar, Sybil DiMaggio, and Rolando Ruiz were killed after a collision between two cars ended with one overturning through their work zone.
The driver whose car went into the work zone, Lea, has been awaiting trial since her arrest in June 2023. The trial has been scheduled and postponed twice.
IN FOCUS LOOK: The 695 tragedy: One year later
The other driver, Melachi Brown, pleaded guilty in January of 2024 and spent three months in prison, serving the rest of his 18-month sentence under house arrest.
The National Transportation Safety Board's final report on the mass casualty incident was released in October of last year.
It identified excessive speed and an unsafe lane change as the cause of the crash. The two cars were found to have been going in excess of 120 miles per hour.
The lawyers for one of the victim's families in a civil case against the state, as well as Lea and Brown, told us the following:
"Sybil's family will continue to seek accountability from any person or entity who caused her death. This is a first step. But only a first step."
WMAR-2 News will be at the plea hearing on Tuesday to continue our coverage.
