Guilty Plea in Fatal Crash

A Richmond resident has pleaded guilty to charges related to a May 2011 fatal accident.  Robert Aliff was charged last September with involuntary manslaughter, assault – driving while intoxicated, careless and imprudent driving, and driving while revoked.  The 40-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony assault and manslaughter charges.  The other two charges were dismissed.

The accusations stemmed from a head-on crash that killed his passenger, Bruce Sodders, 59.  A wrongful death suit filed by the Sodders family appears to have been settled.  Details of the agreement have not been made public.

Aliff was sentenced to a total of 11 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections (seven years on the assault charge and four years on the manslaughter charge).