Six months in jail for men who caused fatal 2024 Camden Twp. crash

ELYRIA — Two men who caused the death of their friend in a November 2024 utility vehicle crash in Camden Township were sentenced Monday to up to six months each in the Lorain County Jail. David Tipple and Jordon Phillips also were placed on five years community control with conditions including good behavior and random drug testing before being walked out of Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook's courtroom in handcuffs. Calling it "for the most part ... a tragic accident," Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook said Tipple and Phillips made "bad, bad choices" that led to the crash that killed Kyle Hill, 24, of Camden Township on state Route 303. Cook also suspended their driver's licenses for at least three years each, ordered Phillips to pay $575 in fines plus court costs, and Tipple to pay a $100 fine plus court costs. Cook said he would consider letting the men out of jail after they had each served at least 30 days. He said he knew the sentence would not satisfy everyone in the courtroom or in the community, and that prison wouldn't accomplish anything since Tipple and Phillips weren't likely to commit any more crimes. "I've been doing this for a long, long time. It never is easy. There's never a good answer," Cook said, despite legal guidelines, letters from supporters and families, legal requirements and case law. Tipple pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault and one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, all felonies, plus one count of reckless operation, a misdemeanor. Phillips pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault and one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, all felonies, and one count each of DUI and reckless operation, both misdemeanors.  Hill, Phillips and Tipple were longtime friends. Tipple, 28, of Wakeman Township in Huron County, called Hill "an amazing person" and Phillips, 26, of Camden Township, called him "my best friend." "Honestly there's nothing I can do or say at this point to bring back Kyle, and I wish I could," Tipple said in court. "I can't begin to apologize enough for my part in this situation." Phillips also apologized, calling the incident "terrifying" and "terrible." "I wouldn't wish it on anybody," Phillips said. "I did some stupid things that night, horsing around, that led to a very, very tragic accident." The Lorain County Sheriff's Office said Phillips was intoxicated behind the wheel of a Polaris RZR side-by-side utility vehicle on Route 303 on Nov. 16, 2024, when he drove onto Tipple's property and "turfed" his lawn. Hill was in the passenger seat. Whether Tipple knew who was in the Polaris remains in dispute, Cook said in court, but Tipple got into his Ford F-150, chased after the side-by-side, passed it and cut it off. Phillips lost control of the side-by-side, which went off the road into a field in the 50000 block of Route 303 and overturned. Hill was ejected, the Polaris rolled on top of him and he was fatally injured, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies found empty beer cans and bottles at the crash scene and the Polaris smelled of alcohol. Known as "Meeper," Kyle Hill graduated from Firelands High School in 2018, worked in construction and was engaged to be married when he died. The Hill family was divided on what should happen to the men who caused the crash. Kyle Hill's mother, Deela Sutton, said the crash was no accident and asked Cook to send Phillips and Tipple to prison. Choices, not chance, "ended my son's life forever and shattered the lives of everyone who loved him," Sutton said. "There is justice, and justice matters because Kyle mattered. His life mattered and the decision that took him from us must be treated with the seriousness it deserves." Drinking and driving "is not a mistake. It is a reckless and preventable act," Sutton said, asking Cook for "the strongest possible accountability under the law — not out of anger but out of love for my son and a need to ensure that his life mattered and is not reduced to a statistic or treated as anything less than invaluable." "I miss Kyle so bad. I will never be whole again," Sutton said through sobs and tears. "He was such a good kid ... I'll miss him forever." Kyle Hill's father Trent Hill and stepmother Becky Hill asked Cook to go easy on Phillips, who would never have intentionally harmed their son. They have empathy for Phillips "even if we wish different decisions had been made the night of the accident," Becky Hill read from a prepared statement. The couple didn't ask for leniency for Tipple, whom Becky Hill said acted out of "anger, malice and intent" when he chased the Polaris. Tipple didn't show remorse and still drives the truck he was in when he caused the fatal crash even when he has other options, Becky Hill said in court. Four of Kyle Hill's younger siblings — Ella, Lyla, Juda and Maya — requested their brother's killers get life in prison, according to a letter they wrote that Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Paul Griffin read in court. "We think they should get the harshest punishment there is," they wrote. "They should spend their whole lives in prison as we will spend now our whole lives without Kyle." Phillips and Hill were not eligible for life in prison, Cook noted. Offering his family's "deepest sympathy and condolences" to the Hill family, Matt Tipple asked Cook to show "mercy and grace" and not send his son to prison for "a serious lapse in judgment." Attorney Doug Merrill, who represented Tipple, said his client's crime was "an anomaly" and that Tipple showed "absolute remorse." "I don't believe either of these individuals had any intention of any one being harmed," Merrill said. Seven family members and friends wrote letters of support on Phillips' behalf, according to documents attorneys Kenneth and Maggie Lieux filed with the court. Phillips' plea agreement included a promise to testify against Tipple at trial. Kenneth Lieux said he was "not going to try to make sense out of the senseless" incident and death of Kyle Hill. "It's just tragic all around," he said in court. "I think Jordon is going to suffer for the rest of his life. Kyle was his best friend ... Honestly I think Jordon is in prison now. He played a part in his best friend being killed." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or [email protected]