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Former school principal convicted of murder for DUI crash

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[Left] Convicted murderer Mary Noel Kruppe. [Right] Victim Jessica Ordaz, 29, of Lancaster.
LANCASTER – A former local elementary school principal has been found guilty of DUI murder in connection with a 2018 traffic crash in Palmdale that killed a 29-year-old Lancaster woman, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Mary Noel Kruppe, 37, of Pearblossom, was convicted Monday, Feb. 3, of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in connection with the head-on crash that killed 29-year-old Jessica Ordaz of Lancaster, according to Deputy District Attorney Thomas Hilton.

On the night of Nov. 15, 2018, Kruppe was driving a 2014 Jeep Wrangler southbound on 50th Street East, north of Avenue P, when she veered left into oncoming traffic, according to evidence presented at the trial. This caused a head-on collision with a Mazda being driven in the opposite direction by Ordaz, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kruppe was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. She was arrested that night by California Highway Patrol investigators and has remained behind bars since then, according to jail records.

At the time of the fatal collision, Kruppe was the principal at Enterprise Elementary in Lancaster.

Kruppe is due back in a Lancaster courtroom on Feb. 20 for sentencing. She faces 15 years to life in state prison.

Previous related stories:

Lancaster principal pleads not guilty in deadly alleged DUI crash

Local elementary school principal charged with murder in fatal DUI crash

Lancaster woman killed in head-on crash with suspected DUI driver

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47 comments for "Former school principal convicted of murder for DUI crash"

  3. Idiota. Mujerzuela. Buena para la bebida y lastimar a familias. ¡Que bueno los años que le esperan en prision!

    • Do you speak English? Shouldn’t you be commenting in a Mexican newspaper where someone knows WTF you’re talking about pendejo ignorante?

      • Pinche ignorarte y racista. ¿Encuentra un diccionario o tan pendeja eres que no sabes que puedes usar Google Traduce? Igual de babosa que la borracha en este artículo y tu madre.

        Google that hija de puta :)

  4. All you low life’s have a lynch mob mentality. The Bible mentions “You hypocrite take the plank out of your eye so you may see more clearly the speck in your brothers eye”….which is for each and every one of you that should look at your own life…you are all bullies. Dr Phil says when you choose the behavior you choose the consequences. And that is true here…and all you blood thirsty losers can go back to your life. They also say that folks that live in glass houses should not throw stones. When it comes to sin…sin is sin…one is not greater than another. If you have driven ONCE after having drinks…you would be here……so get off your high horse you hypocrites. As Jodi Arias says…haters are gonna hate and most of you can’t help yourselves…it’s in your DNA…..and I know this post will generate idiotic responses…so go for it…haters demonstrating hate…

    • You psycho BeenieBob. I think you’re the loser. Get some help before you go crazy killing people like this psycho drunk driver.

    • Once again you repeat your nonsense but this time you go from talking about the Bible to quoting Jodi Arias. It seems a little sick and twisted your true colors show. How are you related to the convict?

    • I have to agree with BernieBob, its easy to post among strangers and hide your own sins. Angela cheats on her taxes and Yessi stole 3 pens from the office yesterday and I’m pretty sure Lilly ran over a mime last week although technically that’s not a crime.

      • Modelovirus: Well, you have a virus that prompts you to post among strangers hiding your own sins too. Modelo condones sexual abuse in schools.

    • BernieBob is mad!!! Why, she did drive drunk and kill someones daughter, sister, friend… sorry BernieBob you lost your convict friend or relative or is it your significant other..

    • “Don’t play the victim to circumstances you created”

      She created it, she deals with it now.

      And you, you have to deal with the results. Accept it and you’ll be able to move on faster.

    • Yes I hate her. She took our love one. I wish her to rot in jail. I wish she never gets out. I wish she suffers and thinks about Us the rest of her miserable life. She hurt my family. Yes it’s in my DNA BernieBob. I’ve never driven drunk just so you know.

  5. And all of this pain because the drunk driver did not call an Uber. Rather spend her money going out and drinking than calling an Uber to make it home safe to her own family. Destroyed families with her bad choices.

      • Justice was served

        Won’t bring back Jessica. Mary Kruppe will stay in jail for a long time. All the pain she’s causing to many families Did not even care about her own family.

  6. Just an awful person. Bad choices. Careless individual. Did not once think about her kids or family. She cannot be running around anymore. One small cell to think about her bad choices.

    RIP Jessica

    • Exactly. We all know where this drunk driver will be for a long while. She can’t hurt families anymore.

    • The husband needs to drop her behind and leave her in jail to rot.

      He’s good looking, young, smart, loves his kids, and truly supported her with her career. I know a few women who would be interested in getting to know him.

      Her lost!!!

  9. What gets near the dumb idiots and making excuses about the road know it’s the driver all the time

  11. The family can finally have a little closure. Won’t bring back their love one but they can be sure this drunk driver will stay in prison for a long time.

  13. Isn’t that the section that curves East to connect 50th to 47th just North of the circle? It still doesn’t excuse drinking and driving, but that curve is deadly. Thirteen miles of straight road through open desert, and if you miss the sign, the road suddenly bends you into oncoming traffic. It has killed many that a simple guard rail could fix.

    She didn’t veer Left, she failed to veer Right

    • Where the crash occurred is a little more than a mile north of where the road curves. The road was straight there, so she did veer left.

    • Just noticed there isn’t a sign anywhere indicating a curve approaching. Needs a sign and a rumble strip first, and if that doesn’t improve things, a divider on the curve.

      • Those would be nice additions. LA County seems to be [removed]show about improving roads unless they affect a member of the governing class.

      • Even if there was a sign indicating a curve approaching, this woman would have not noticed. She was drunk .19. .19 at 6:50pm right after a meeting at 2:30pm. A meeting with her school district and other administrators

    • Nope. almost 1/2 of a mile north of that curve. The curve starts south of Ave P-8. She was north of P when she did her deed.

    • I was at the seen of the accident and it was North of P. Way away from the curve. There is nothing wrong with the curve if you drive 55 mph. There is nothing wrong with the straight road either. Stop blaming these things. The real reason for accidents on this road is drivers under the influence and reckless drivers passing unsafely. I see it all the time. RIP Jessica. I Love the memorial site the family has done for her.

      • Brian, I totally agree with you. It’s not the road or the lack of “signs” it’s the stupid drunk drivers and morons driving crazy through that road. In this case, the driver was so drunk at 6:50 pm on a Thursday that it caused someone to die and family to be in pain the rest of their lives. I hope she gets life.