INDIANAPOLIS – A woman accused of killing an Indianapolis ER doctor and a mother in two separate crashes made her initial court appearance Tuesday.
A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of 55-year-old Kelli Anderson inside Marion Superior Court Tuesday morning. She was appointed a public defender and is being held on a $100,000 bond.
According to court documents, Anderson was going nearly 70 mph on June 9 when she slammed into the back of a car at North Keystone Avenue and 52nd Street, killing 28-year-old Kiana Burns, a mother of four.
She’s charged with reckless homicide and criminal recklessness.
Weeks before the crash, investigators said Anderson hit and killed Brian Dillman, a local emergency room doctor and Eli Lilly employee. Dillman was out for a walk on May 19 when Anderson’s SUV hit him on the sidewalk at North Meridian and 49th Street.
Anderson told police she suffers from severe epilepsy. After the Dillman crash, doctors told her not to drive for six months, according to court documents. The investigation also revealed Anderson had been involved in five crashes prior to hitting Dillman from August 2019 through May 2022.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has asked the court to suspend her driver’s license. The motion is pending.
“We think it’s completely justifiable that the state should suspend her license. We only wish that there were avenues that this could’ve been done prior to this tragedy happening,” said Dustin Fregiato, an attorney representing Kiana Burns’ family.
“If there was a loophole that allowed this to continue, we will hope to close that loophole in the future for all families to prevent these tragedies from happening.”
If Anderson posts bond, she is not allowed to have any contact with her alleged victims and would also be prohibited from driving.
A pretrial hearing is set for August with a trial scheduled for Sept. 1, according to court records.
