New Lebanon man found guilty in UD student’s death
A New Lebanon man was found guilty Friday of vehicular homicide in the September 2020 death of a University of Dayton student.
Kyler F. Carlile, 31, pleaded guilty to failure to stop after an accident and pleaded no contest to vehicular homicide. The court convicted him of both misdemeanor counts, according to Montgomery County Prosecutor’s office spokesman Greg Flannagan.
He was charged in connection to an incident that led to the death of 19-yearold Michael Currin, a Cincinnati-area freshman studying business at UD.
Carlile and two passengers were in a pickup truck on Wayne Avenue when they saw Currin walking along the road. Currin had left campus to pick up food around 3:30 a.m., authorities said.
Carlile and the passengers offered Currin a ride, the prosecutor’s office said, and Currin climbed into the cargo area of the truck.
“The defendant drove to the home of one of the passengers. When they arrived, the defendant and his passengers noticed the victim was no longer in the back of the truck,” prosecutors said.
Carlile drove back the way he came and past the victim in the roadway, who was clearly injured, prosecutors said.
“Instead of stopping and offering the victim aid and assistance or calling 911 to report the injury, as required by law, the defendant drove away,” according to a release from the prosecutor’s office. “The victim died three days later as a result of his injuries. The autopsy determined the victim suffered blunt-force trauma consistent with either falling or jumping from a moving vehicle. The coroner ruled the death an accident.”
Carlile’s attorney, Christopher Deal, previously released a statement via email to the Dayton Daily News.
“What happened to Michael Currin on September 20, 2020, was an unexpected tragedy, our hearts go out to all of his loved ones and friends,” Deal said, adding that he expected to see police reports soon.
“What I can tell you is that after a long and thorough investigation by the Dayton Police Department, Michael’s death was ruled an accident, and from what I do know, I can honestly say that my client did not know when Michael fell out of the back of the pickup truck,” he said.
Carlile will be sentenced Dec. 21 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.