Man guilty in semi crash that killed two near Republic

A man accused of killing two people when his tractor-trailer smashed into a line of stopped vehicles near Republic has pleaded guilty.

Lei Sun, 32, of Alhambra, Calif., pleaded guilty today to two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deaths of Lawrence "Mike" Coan and Corey Gresham.

Greene County Judge Calvin Holden sentenced him to four years in prison.

Coan and Gresham were driving cars on U.S. 60 near Republic in March 2013, and were stopped at a traffic signal behind another semitrailer when Sun's trailer hit the line of cars at between 50 and 59 mph.

During a previous hearing, an investigator with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said Sun's tractor-trailer had problems with the brakes and tires, but the investigator didn't know if that could contribute to the crash.

The truck was owned by California-based Daniel Orchard Transportation and leased to Ark Group Inc.

The Gresham family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the trucking company and Sun. The Coan family has filed a personal injury suit against the trucking company and another against Sun, though court records indicate the case between the Coans and Sun has been dismissed.

Investigators previously testified that an on-board computer showed the brakes on Sun's trailer were not applied before the impact. They also said Sun's logbook was falsified, and that he had driven more than 70 hours in seven consecutive days.

Prosecutor Philip Fuhrman said Sun entered the plea without an agreement with the prosecutor's office. His attorney requested one year in prison, while prosecutor's requested the maximum seven years.