11-03-2025
Plea reached for driver accused of killing Indy ER doctor and mother in separate crashes
A driver charged with fatally striking an Indianapolis doctor and then a mother of four in crashes that occurred less than a month apart in 2022 has pleaded guilty, according to court records.
Kelli Anderson on Monday entered an agreement to plead guilty to two counts of reckless homicide in connection with the deaths of Franciscan Health physician Brian Dillman, 49, and Kiana Burns, a 28-year-old mother to four young children.
Anderson's numerous criminal recklessness charges were dropped as part of the deal, which calls for no more than three years of prison time. Her driver's license will also be suspended for six years.
Anderson is scheduled to be sentenced April 10.
According to court documents, Dillman was walking on a sidewalk near West 49th and Meridian Streets when Anderson is said to have jumped the curb in an SUV and struck him. Police in an arrest affidavit said Anderson continued driving down the sidewalk, slamming into a utility pole and a second vehicle before coming to a stop.
Dillman was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital and died shortly after arriving. He had worked as an emergency physician in the Franciscan Health network for more than 20 years.
Anderson underwent a blood draw following the crash, per state law following fatal crashes. She told police she suffers from seizures. Doctors had advised her not to drive, according to the arrest affidavit.
Less than a month later, Anderson was charged in a second fatal crash.
Court records state that on June 9, 2022, Anderson drove across a median near the intersection of North Keystone Avenue and East 52nd Street, causing a chain-reaction collision. Burns, whose car was hit first, suffered critical injuries and died in a hospital two days later.
Data collected from the car Anderson drove indicated the car was traveling 69 mph upon impact. The speed limit along Keystone Avenue is 35 mph.
As police investigated the crashes, they discovered Anderson had been involved in five more crashes since August 2019.
August 3, 2019: Anderson was driving a Saturn Outlook on the 6500 block of North Meridian Street when she veered off the road, drove the car into a ditch and it flipped over. After the crash, Anderson told police officers she possibly had a seizure and did not know what happened.
February 20, 2020: Anderson was driving a silver 2012 GMC Acadia south on Dean Road and rolled through a stop sign at East 79th Street. Police said she crashed into a BMW 528i turning south onto Dean Road. The driver said she had shoulder pains and was transported to Community North Hospital.
March 9, 2021: Anderson was driving a silver 2013 GMC Acadia south on Fall Creek Parkway's North Drive when she struck another vehicle going south, records state.
September 2, 2021: Anderson was driving a silver 2013 GMC Acadia south on Allisonville Road when she hit a black Chevrolet Trax travelling the same direction, causing the Chevrolet to spin out and the GMC to veer off the road and into a fire hydrant. Anderson told police she did not know she was involved in an accident or hit anyone.
May 2, 2022: Anderson was driving a black 2017 GMC Acadia south in the 3700 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street when she veered off the road and into a light pole. Anderson said a car had stopped suddenly in front of her and she had swerved to avoid it, which she told police caused her to run off the road.
Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Plea reached for driver charged in deaths of ER doctor, mother of four
