On Thursday in Howard County Circuit Court, Michael Coupet admitted he was responsible for a wrong-way, alcohol-involved crash on Interstate 95 that killed two people and seriously injured two others. The Jan. 4 head-on collision, in which authorities say Coupet’s SUV plowed into a Chrysler Pacifica, jolted Howard County’s Indian community and sparked an immediate wave of fundraising and support for the surviving family members. With the guilty plea, months of investigation now give way to a sentencing hearing set for Nov. 5.
Plea deal and court details
As reported by The Baltimore Banner, Coupet, 35, of Locust Point, pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter and two counts of life-threatening injury by a motor vehicle while under the influence. Judge Maurice C. Frazier accepted a plea agreement that calls for a 20-year sentence, with all but 12 years suspended. Under the deal, Coupet would serve five years of probation once released and pay about $17,481 in restitution. Family members attended the hearing remotely, and court filings show Coupet has been held without bail at the Howard County Detention Center.
How investigators say the crash happened
Maryland State Police say Coupet was driving a Toyota Sequoia the wrong way on southbound I-95 near Maryland Route 216 when he struck the family’s Chrysler Pacifica head-on, according to WMAR2News. Troopers reported a breath test that registered a .21 blood-alcohol concentration, more than twice the legal limit. Reporting at the time identified the deceased as 48-year-old Venkata Asha Khanna Appana and 49-year-old Krishna Kishore Kotikalapudi, both of Marvin, North Carolina, and said the couple’s 21-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son were flown or transported to trauma centers for major surgeries, per WBTV.
Community reaction and support
In a statement to The Baltimore Banner, Indian Cultural Association of Howard County President Sanjay Srivastava called the plea a "solemn moment" and said that accountability may help the community begin to heal. A GoFundMe organized for the family drew rapid donations in the days after the crash, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to help cover medical and living expenses, according to coverage by Daily Voice.
What’s next in court
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 5, 2026 in Howard County Circuit Court, where the judge will determine how much of the suspended portion of the recommended term Coupet will ultimately serve behind bars. The plea resolves a broader set of charges that prosecutors originally filed after the crash, and it includes restitution and other conditions that will be detailed at sentencing. The Maryland State Police Crash Team continues to assist with any outstanding investigatory tasks.
Hoodline first covered the initial Jan. 4 indictment and early reporting on the crash and arrests, and that background is still available for readers who have followed the case from the start (earlier coverage of the charges). For now, the guilty plea marks a major legal milestone in a case that has reverberated through Laurel, Howard County and the wider regional community.
