A 35-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the 2021 killing of Erica Lara, whose body was found inside the Hotel Vernon in Worcester after her family reported her missing.
Kyle Curley was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years, according to an announcement from Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.’s office.
Curley also pleaded guilty to assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and received a sentence of two to three years in state prison on that charge. The sentence will run concurrently with his life sentence.
Lara, 29, was found dead June 29, 2021, inside the Hotel Vernon at 16 Kelley Square. An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that she died from complications of blunt-force injuries to the head, according to the district attorney’s office.
Authorities issued a warrant for Curley’s arrest during the investigation. He was arrested the following month by San Diego police in California after contacting the Worcester Police Department Detective Bureau to turn himself in on unrelated warrants, according to the announcement.
A Worcester County grand jury indicted Curley on March 24, 2023. He was arraigned in Worcester Superior Court the following month.
“We never stop working towards justice for victims and their families, especially in cases that remain unresolved,” Early said in the announcement. “We are also grateful to the family for their patience and understanding throughout this process. We are proud of the work of our prosecution team in bringing some measure of justice to the family.”
Early credited Assistant District Attorney Joseph Simmons and Victim Witness Advocate Margaret Rwaramba for their work on the case. He also thanked the Worcester Police Department Detective Bureau and San Diego Police Department for their roles in the investigation.
