Man sentenced to life in prison for killing Topeka mom in crash

TOPEKA (KSNT) – A Shawnee County judge has sentenced a local man to life in prison for causing the death of a Topeka mom in a deadly crash in 2023.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Michael S. Lester, 40, of Topeka to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 620 months for his part in the death of Alycia Noriega,

33, two years ago. He is also sentenced to an additional 44 months on related charges.

A local jury found Lester guilty of the following charges at the conclusion of a trial in 2024:

• Murder in the first degree.
• Flee or attempt to elude a police officer.
• Murder in the second degree.
• Leaving the scene of an accident.

The Topeka Police Department (TPD) responded to reports of a crash around 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2023 at the intersection of Northwest St. John Street and Northwest Tyler Street involving two vehicles. Officers arriving at the scene found a woman, later identified as Noriega, suffering from severe injuries and transported her to a local hospital.

Noriega died a few hours later at the hospital. Police arrested Lester the following day on numerous charges. Noriega’s death marked the 33rd homicide case of 2023.

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