LOS ANGELES — A former elementary school principal from Pearblossom has been found guilty of a DUI murder in the Palmdale area.
A jury yesterday found Mary Noel Kruppe, 37, guilty of one count each of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
On the night of Nov. 15, 2018, Kruppe was driving 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 vehicle being driven in the opposite direction by Jessica Ordaz, 29, of Lancaster, who died of her injuries.
At the time, the defendant was the principal at Enterprise Elementary in Lancaster.
The case was investigated by the California Highway Patrol, Lancaster Station.
