A woman pleaded guilty Tuesday for her role in a crash on Interstate 695 in Baltimore County that killed six construction workers, among the deadliest work zone crashes in decades.

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Dennis M. Robinson Jr. is set to sentence Lisa Lea on six counts of negligent vehicular manslaughter on Jan. 30, 2026.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Felise Kelly and Aleisha Vines are recommending a sentence of 60 years in prison, with 36 years suspended, plus three years’ supervised probation. That’s along with 40 hours of community service.

They’re also requesting that Lea be prohibited from driving while on probation.

Lea, 57, would be eligible for parole after serving a quarter of her sentence. She’s been on home detention for more than two years, which would count toward that time.

Robinson could hand down a lengthier punishment.

Meanwhile, Lea’s attorneys, public defenders Amy Stone and Rukaayat Balogun, are allowed to argue for less time.

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger told reporters at a news conference it was extremely important that Lea “be accountable for each of the victims she killed.”

Lea, of Ednor Gardens-Lakeside, was driving a 2017 Acura TLX on March 22, 2023, when she tried to merge into the passing lane and hit a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta.

Both Lea and the other driver, Melachi Brown, were driving more than 120 mph five seconds before the crash. The speed limit was 55 mph.

Lea spun out, traveled through a gap in concrete barriers that separated the work zone from the rest of the highway, and overturned multiple times. Her car came to rest on the roof.

Rolando Ruiz, 46, of Laurel; Carlos Villatoro Escobar, 43, of Frederick; Jose Escobar, 52, of Frederick; Mahlon “MJ” Simmons III, 30, of Union Bridge; Mahlon “Stick” Simmons II, 52, of Union Bridge; and Sybil DiMaggio, 46, of Glen Burnie, were killed.

First responders took Lea to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment. She told investigators that her vision went black similar to when she experienced a seizure five years earlier and totaled her vehicle, Maryland State Police reported.

She gave inconsistent statements to troopers about when she last used cannabis.

During the hearing, Lea responded to questions from the judge with “Yes, sir” and “No, sir.” At times, she appeared to choke up.

Brown, 22, of Windsor Mill, pleaded guilty in 2024 to six counts of negligent vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to 60 years in prison, with 58 1/2 years suspended, plus three years’ supervised probation.

The conduct of the drivers is “only part of the story,” said Michael Belsky, an attorney for the DiMaggio family, after the hearing.

Family members have filed a lawsuit in Baltimore County Circuit Court against the state of Maryland and various companies involved in the project.

Belsky said the other factors that led to the catastrophe were the “ill-designed project” and the “lack of protection afforded to the construction workers.”

Contractors had asked the state and the designer of the project to close the left lane, Belsky said. Their only protection had been a truck with a safety device designed to absorb the impact of a crash, but that was moved shortly before the disaster.

“I look forward to representing the interests of the DiMaggio family in their quest to find justice for what happened,” Belsky said.

A Banner data analysis found there were only 12 other crashes between 1980 and 2020 in work zones in the United States that resulted in more deaths.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that an unsafe lane change and speeding contributed to the crash.

Lea remains free on home detention while she awaits sentencing.