A 21-year-old Parma woman who admitted to striking a 73-year-old pedestrian and driving off on Cleveland’s West Side has been ordered to serve two years in prison. Prosecutors said Amanda Liepold pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in connection with a November 2025 collision in the EcoVillage section of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. Investigators later found the victim on a pedestrian bridge after the crash, a discovery that helped launch the case that wrapped up in court this week.
Judge Orders Prison Time And Long License Suspension
According to Cleveland19, a Cuyahoga County judge sentenced Liepold on Tuesday, April 23, 2026, to 24 months behind bars and suspended her driver’s license for 25 years. The station reports she will be on parole for at least one year after her release and that she pleaded guilty in March to aggravated vehicular homicide along with a related minor traffic offense.
Citing court records, Cleveland19 notes that Liepold struck 73-year-old Shirley Brown on Nov. 16, 2025, then left the scene and was arrested later that same day. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner determined that Brown died from blunt-force injuries to her torso and left arm.
Where This Sits Under Ohio Law
Under Ohio law, aggravated vehicular homicide can be charged at different felony levels depending on the circumstances. When it is prosecuted as a third-degree felony, the typical prison range runs from 9 to 36 months. Within that bracket, judges weigh statutory factors and a defendant’s prior driving history before choosing a specific term.
For the legal fine print, see the Ohio Revised Code section 2903.06 on aggravated vehicular homicide and Ohio Revised Code section 2929.14 for sentencing ranges and statutory guidance.
Hit-and-Run Deaths Remain A National Problem
Cases like this are part of a wider and stubborn traffic-safety problem. Federal data show there were 2,872 fatalities in crashes involving hit-and-run drivers in 2023, and roughly one in four pedestrian deaths that year involved a driver who fled. Those numbers make clear why police and prosecutors put extra emphasis on identifying drivers and delivering answers to victims’ families, even when the criminal penalties are relatively modest.
For national context and data details, see the NHTSA research note on 2023 crash data.
Records And What Happens Next
Liepold will serve the sentence imposed by the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and remain under the long driver’s license suspension and parole conditions set at her hearing. Public filings and docket entries in the case are available online for anyone who wants to review hearing dates or court documents. The Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts provides access to those records through its case search system.
