Woman gets maximum sentence for Kansas City crash that killed a 23-year-old
A woman was sentenced to the maximum amount of time in prison for involuntary manslaughter in a Kansas City crash that killed a 23-year-old man.
Riana S. Sanders, 39, was sentenced by a Jackson County judge to 15 years. Prosecutors highlighted Sanders’ status as a prior and persistent offender which elevated the number of hears she could serve in prison from 10 to 15, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
On May 1, 2018, Sanders struck a car near 39th and Gillham. When Kansas City police asked her to roll down the vehicle’s window, she fled.
As she ran a stop sign at 35th and Euclid and drove into the intersection, she struck an SUV being driven by James A. Palmer. The 23-year-old was transported to a local hospital where he later died.
During sentencing arguments, prosecutors said Palmer was a “young and present member of his family.” He was two days shy of his 24th birthday when he was killed.
Sanders pleaded guilty in May to first-degree involuntary manslaughter.
