Judge pushes back Kirby sentencing

MARTINSVILLE -- A Morgan County Superior Court Judge has reset Judy Kirby's sentencing from today to June 13. \nOn March 25 last year, an allegedly suicidal Kirby sped the wrong way up Ind. 67 for 1.7 miles, plowing into Thomas Reel's minivan. Reel and his children, Jesica and Bradley, died in a crash that the police estimate occured at a combined speed between 159 and 177 miles per hour. The collision also claimed the lives of Kirby's children, Jordan, Joney and Jacob, and Jeremy Young, a nephew in her care.\nRichard Miller, a close friend of the Reels, survived the crash with serious injuries. \nAfter an 11-day trial in May, a jury shipped in from Dearborn County found Kirby guilty of seven counts of murder. Kirby, who's been in jail since she was released from the hospital, was also convicted of four counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and a lone felony county of aggravated battery.\nUnder standard sentencing, Kirby could face up to 435 years in prison. Kirby's defense attorney Tom Jones, who plans to appeal the verdict, said he believes the murder counts will be stacked.\nThe defense argued during the trial that Kirby suffered from a thyroid imbalance that left her psychotic. The jury sided with deputy prosecutor Tom Iacoli's view that Kirby knowingly tried to end her life while distraught over a recent breakup and pending drug charges. In the most dramatic moment of the trial, Iacoli silently watched the clock for 87 seconds during his closing argument -- the exact length of time she drove through oncoming traffic. \nMorgan Superior Court Judge Jane Spencer Craney will sentence Kirby, who is likely looking at life in prison. But the sentencing might not be Kirby's last court appearance -- two civil suits are pending.\nBoth the Millers and the widowed Louise Reel -- who sat through the entire trial and shed tears of joy after the conviction -- have filed lawsuits seeking compensatory damages from Kirby's liability insurance carrier, PAFCO. Morgan County Superior Judge G. Thomas Grey has scheduled an attorney's conference for August in the hope of consolidating the nearly identical suits.\nGrey doubts the suits will go to trial after the insurance issues are settled, noting that Kirby couldn't otherwise afford to pay the substantive damages. But Lee Christie, an Indianapolis attorney representing the Millers, said they might want a trial just to win a judgment against Kirby.\nThe civil suits allege that Kirby drove the wrong way, exceeded the speed limit and failed to alter her course to avoid a collision. Kirby's attorney, appointed by her insurance company, is seeking a change of venue because of the media attention surrounding her trial.