NEWS

Man gets 60 years in prison for stomping death

The Associated Press

HAMILTON (AP) – A 26-year-old man who stomped a Hamilton man to death during an alcohol- and drug-fueled rage has been sentenced to 60 years in prison.

The Ravalli Republic reports Richard Sullivan was sentenced Tuesday for the January 2014 death of 25-year-old Robert Thaut. Sullivan pleaded guilty in April to deliberate homicide.

Prosecutors say Sullivan beat and stomped Thaut at his home, causing internal bleeding that killed him because Sullivan and his wife Candace failed to get medical help.

Richard Sullivan said he was under the influence of alcohol, an anti-anxiety medication and marijuana at the time, and he acknowledged getting into fights with Thaut often.

Candace Sullivan accepted a deal that required her to plead guilty to felony counts of obstructing justice and criminal possession of methamphetamine and to serve at least five years with the Department of Corrections.