Man Charged in Hamilton Stomping Death Case Changes Plea to Guilty

The man accused in the stomping death of 25 year-old Robert Thaut in Hamilton in January of 2014 has changed his plea to guilty.

Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbright said Richard Sullivan appeared in district court on Thursday.

"This is a case in which the defendant, Mr. Sullivan and his wife were friends with the victim," Fulbright said. "They partied together, and at the time of his death they got into an altercation and in the end there was an injury caused to the decedent that I believe was a stomping, that caused him to bleed to death internally."

Fulbright said Sullivan accepted a plea agreement rather than face trial for deliberate homicide.

"Deliberate homicide carries a penalty of up to life in prison, but in this particular case, we have agreed to recommend a term of 40 years in Montana State Prison," he said. "There will be a number of conditions included with that, but that's essentially the summary."

Sullivan's wife, Candace, has already pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for her attempts to cover up the crime. Sullivan will be sentenced in June.