photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Zachary Odom appears Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Douglas County District Court.

A defendant accused of killing a man and seriously injuring the man’s child in a head-on collision last year pleaded guilty Thursday in Douglas County District Court to reckless second-degree murder and aggravated battery while driving under the influence.

The defendant, Zachary Odom, 30, of Tecumseh, killed Leonard “Skip” Schupp, 51, of Oskaloosa, while driving under the influence on July 18, 2025, on U.S. Highway 40 in Douglas County. Schupp’s teenage daughter, Kate Schupp, was also seriously injured in the crash.

Schupp was the father of three daughters. A University of Kansas graduate with a degree in environmental science, he most recently worked as the senior project manager for Blue Flame Crew LLC.

Prosecutor Jason McIlrath told Senior Judge Nancy Parrish that Odom had been undergoing methadone treatment for two years prior to the fatality — a fact that Odom admitted after waiving his Miranda rights — and that he had the drug in his system that night along with methamphetamine and amphetamine, as determined by KBI testing. Camera footage from a Dillons parking lot before the collision showed Odom staring blankly and looking out of sorts, McIlrath said, and yet he opted to drive, knowing how the drugs affected his body and judgment.

“He knew the risks,” McIlrath said.

McIlrath and prosecutor Megan Ahsens recommended, as part of the plea deal, that Odom be sentenced to 157 months, or 13 years, for the murder count and nine months for the aggravated battery count, to run concurrently. They said that restitution would be requested, but no amount was specified Thursday.

In exchange for Odom’s guilty plea to the two counts, the state agreed to drop four other charges: leaving the scene of an accident, a second count of aggravated battery while driving under the influence, no proof of insurance and improper driving on a laned roadway.

Judge Parrish told Odom that although the state was agreeing to recommend a downward departure in sentencing, such a decision would be up to the sentencing judge, who must find substantial and compelling reasons to depart from the state sentencing guidelines. She indicated that he could face well over 16 years if no departure were allowed and if the judge opted for consecutive sentencing instead of concurrent.

The Kansas Highway Patrol said that the wreck involved three vehicles on U.S. 40. Odom’s 2012 Ford Focus was westbound but went into the eastbound lanes and struck a cargo van driven by a man from Tennessee, KHP said, then collided head-on with Schupp’s 1965 Ford F-100 pickup. Schupp died at the scene, and Kate Schupp, 15, suffered serious injuries.

The cargo van driver suffered minor injuries, while Odom was seriously injured, KHP said at the time, although Odom had left his vehicle and was located at a different site.

Court records indicate that Odom served time in prison for aggravated battery in a 2019 case involving a 3-year-old.

Sentencing has been set for Sept. 24. After he serves his term Odom will be required to register as an offender for 15 years.

Douglas County Court records indicate that Schupp’s family filed a lawsuit against Odom and was awarded around $200,000 in an insurance settlement earlier this year.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Zachary Odom appears Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Douglas County District Court.