WORCESTER, MA — A man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in the 2021 killing of 29-year-old Erica Lara.
Kyle Curley, 35, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 20 years, the Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr's office announced on Tuesday. He also pleaded guilty to assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and received a concurrent sentence of two to three years.
Lara's body was found June 29, 2021, inside Hotel Vernon at 16 Kelley Square after her family filed a missing person report, according to the district attorney's office.
An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Lara died from complications of blunt force injuries to the head.
Authorities issued a warrant for Curley during the investigation. San Diego police arrested him in California in July 2021 after he contacted the Worcester Police Department Detective Bureau to surrender on unrelated warrants, prosecutors said.
A Worcester County grand jury indicted Curley on March 24, 2023. He was arraigned in Worcester Superior Court the following month.
Early credited Assistant District Attorney Joseph Simmons, Victim Witness Advocate Margaret Rwaramba, Worcester police and San Diego police for their work on the case.
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