'Too little too late:' Father's Day shooting witness sentenced to prison

A woman has been sentenced to 15 to 30 months in a state correctional facility for hindering investigation into her boyfriend, who was sentenced to life in prison in July.

Kimberly Metz was a key witness in a Father's Day murder trial, where her boyfriend, Tyrell Dotson, was accused of first-degree murder after shooting 16 times at Willmar Santos-Batista's car on West Mason Avenue in York, killing him.

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Security footage from June 20, 2021, shows Metz being approached by the car, interacting with Santos-Batista, then leaning down into the passenger-side window before Dotson approaches and opens fire.

Metz pleaded no contest on July 11 to a charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution, a third-degree felony, after retrieving a bag Dotson dropped at the scene of the crime.

She had entered an agreement with the District Attorney's Office to testify in the case for a reduced sentence, but after her plea she cut her ankle monitor and left the state during Dotson's jury trial.

She was apprehended in Prince George's County, Maryland, but pleaded the fifth and did not testify in the case, ending the deal with the District Attorney's Office.

"I have been petrified, scared, and even have night terrors from the incident that haunts me. I am still recovering from this incident as well," Metz said during the sentencing on Monday. "My heart goes out to the family and the victim and this grieving time, and I don’t want this to go on more time than it should have."

Santos-Batista's family had a large showing at the trial, with four people testifying against Metz during the sentencing.

"I’m not the one who is in charge here and I cannot say but to me she is an accomplice because she waited 12 days with the killer," Willmar's mother, Maria Batista, testified with the help of a translator. "As the justice will be over Tyrell, the justice will be over her too."

Much of the testimony focused on Santos-Batista's daughter, now 13, who had been hurt deeply by the shooting, with family members saying she is inward and depressed.

Metz said the reason she did not call the police and give Dotson away was because she feared for her life, saying he was crazy and would torture and burn her in his home, offering to show the judge burn marks on her stomach.

She said he was intoxicated that night, and she had tried to get away from him multiple times.

More on Santos-Batista's family:He was killed on Father's Day. He was also a proud father, protective brother, beloved son

"I knew (Dotson) was not in the right frame of mind, and he was a dangerous person. I was scared, I was petrified and unfortunately somebody else got involved," Metz said. "When the drugs and him being intoxicated it changed him and that night it kept on getting worse and worse and worse."

President Judge Maria Musti Cook presided over the sentencing and agreed to give an aggravated sentence upon request of the District Attorney's Office, represented by Senior Deputy Prosecutor Greg Seiders.

"Her apologies today are too little too late especially in light of her lack of cooperating during trial," Cook said during the sentencing.

Jack Panyard is a reporter at the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at jpanyard@ydr.com, 717-850-5935 or on Twitter @JackPanyard.