Kristi Fitch pleads guilty to one count in fatal crash trial

ELYRIA — The second day of Kristi Fitch's trial for a fatal 2017 crash near downtown Elyria opened with a guilty plea from the defendant on one of the three offenses she was indicted on. Fitch withdrew her previous not guilty plea on her third-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide charge and entered a guilty plea on the charge. Her attorney, J. Anthony Rich, told Judge Raymond Ewers that Fitch "wants to take responsibility for what she does believe she did in this case." The charge to which she pleaded carries the possibility of 12 to 60 months behind bars and up to $10,000 in fines, Ewers said. The state continued to prosecute her other two charges — second-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a first-degree misdemeanor. Rich contended on Monday that no evidence in the case can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Fitch was driving impaired when the crash happened. Toxicology reports on blood samples Fitch had taken after the crash showed multiple substances in her system including nordiazepam, caffeine, tramadol, ibuprofen and less than 0.20 nanograms per milliliter of carfentanil, testified Dr. Luigino Apollonio, chief toxicologist at the Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic Science Lab, under the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid, is not prescribed to humans and was "designed as a tranquilizer" for large animals, Apollonio said. Witness Eric Palmer, a sergeant with the Elyria Police Department, testified that the substance is often mixed with heroin on the streets. But Apollonio cautioned that findings from the blood samples cannot, on their own, be used to say Fitch was certainly impaired when her Buick Century crashed into the Jeep Liberty driven by Vicki Hill, 58, at about 5:46 a.m. on August 28, 2017. Witnesses have testified that Fitch was driving north on West Avenue at speeds in excess of 90 mph and pressed the brakes only moments before striking the back of Hill's vehicle at the intersection with Third Street, resulting in flames that torched the Jeep and prevented first responders from aiding Hill. Both women lived in town and were on their way to work, according to testimony. Palmer, who interviewed Fitch at the hospital after the crash, said she specifically denied doing heroin and told police she had only drank coffee and taken two tramadol pills for a headache that morning. The tramadol was prescribed to Fitch, but two pills exceeded her prescribed dose, Palmer said. Police concluded in their investigation that Fitch was under the influence of drugs when the crash occurred. Robert "Bobby" Miller, a witness who is under subpoena to testify in the trial, sent a Facebook Messenger message after the crash to Takori Brown, Hill's daughter, alleging that Fitch had been using heroin. Brown testified Monday that she didn't respond to the message and sent it to the Elyria Police Department. Miller was set to take the witness stand Tuesday via Zoom video chat, because he told prosecutors Monday he was ordered to quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 patients. However, his Zoom connection was not working properly, prompting Ewers to continue the case until further order from the court. The trial is set to resume this afternoon. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.