2:30 p.m. update: Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash has confirmed that the hearing for Eric M. Winship will likely be postponed from Thursday after he and Winship’s defense attorney in a joint motion asked for a continuance. A new date for the hearing has not yet been set. Organizers of the vigil said they will reschedule the event for when the hearing is scheduled, which is now tentatively 9:30 a.m. May 28 in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
ORIGINAL STORY
Family and friends of Kyla Ortlieb plan to conduct a vigil around the exterior of the Bartholomew County Courthouse on Thursday as the man accused of hitting and killing her with his SUV has a change of plea hearing in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
The vigil will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. outside the courthouse as Eric M. Winship, 27, 3885 Rosewood Court, is scheduled to be in court at 3:45 p.m. for a possible change of plea.
Winship is accused of driving a red GMC Jimmy that struck and Ortlieb, 21, while she was riding a bicycle at 11th and Chestnut Streets at 11:15 p.m. on Oct. 20. Winship was charged with three felonies in Ortlieb’s death, causing death when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, unlawful possession of a syringe and leaving the scene of an accident, court records state.
Angela Lloyd, who lives near where Ortlieb was killed and is organizing the vigil, said the event will be a silent, peaceful and respectful remembrance of the bicyclist as Winship appears in court, possibly to change his plea. It may also include a protest if a plea bargain is offered in the case, Lloyd said.
“It’s a silent protest because the family just wants justice for their daughter,” Lloyd said.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
