A Gratiot County man who took an alcohol-fueled party fight to the road and caused a crash that killed a man has pleaded to several crimes.
Kyle Joseph Richards, 24, from Alma, pleaded no contest Thursday in Gratiot County Circuit Court in a plea deal that the county prosecutor said left neither side totally satisfied.
By entering a plea, Richards will forego his June 6 trial date and instead be sentenced on June 4.
Reckless driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault which results in death are both 15-year felonies.
He’s also charged with assault with dangerous weapon which is a four-year charge.
Prosecutor Keith Kushion recommended a sentence of a maximum of 15 years in prison.
“This is a very difficult situation,” Kushion said. “Neither side of this is happy with the result. One side thinks it’s too much time, and the other thinks it isn’t enough. But the justice system isn’t about making people happy.”
Richards is accused of ramming into another car causing a crash that killed the driver of another car on Nov. 10, 2017.
“This was a crime fueled by alcohol,” Kushion said. “I was adamant that we had to have the maximum to actually do justice here.”
The victim’s family preferred a trial on second degree murder charge.
However, such a charge requires a finding of malice on the defendant’s part. The jury would have been asked to prove without a doubt that the defendant’s actions were intentional. Only then could the reckless driving charge be upgraded for a trial.
“We had two days of a preliminary examination for this,” Kushion said. “We took the testimony of virtually every witness to this. We basically tried our case at the district court level already, so that we would have all of the statements of all the witnesses. This isn’t a situation where he set out to harm him or kill him, but his recklessness in fact caused that.”
Richards has been out on bond since his district trial in February. The bond is continued pending his sentencing date.