CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) – A St. Charles man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, admitting he was street racing with another driver when he slammed into a 73-year-old woman’s SUV, killing her.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 43-year-old Haven Sooter also pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving while intoxicated-persistent offender.
The accident happened in July 2016 on busy Lindbergh Boulevard in St. Louis County. Kathleen Koutroubis had just left dinner at a friend’s home in Frontenac when her SUV was struck.
Sooter admitted drinking alcohol and using marijuana prior to the crash. He also admitted a prosecutor’s allegation that he stopped his BMW at an intersection and started a street race with Scott Bailey, who was driving a Ford Mustang.
Authorities said Sooter and Bailey were racing at up to 121 mph seconds before the crash. An assistant prosecutor said Sooter had slowed to 80 mph at impact.
Bailey was found guilty in 2018 of second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail and five years’ probation.
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