Jury Acquits Man in 2015 Crash Death of Missouri Trooper

A central Missouri man has been acquitted of causing the death of a Missouri state trooper in 2015.

Jurors in St. Charles County on Friday acquitted 23-year-old Serghei Comerzan of involuntary manslaughter in the August 2015 death of Trooper James Bava.

The 25-year-old Bava died when his patrol car crashed while he was chasing Comerzan on a highway in rural Audrain County.

Prosecutors said Comerzan was driving up to 105 mph before Bava tried to stop him. Bava lost control and was pinned under his car, which burned after the crash.

The defense argued that Comerzan didn't know the trooper was trying to stop him and the state didn't prove that he was trying to outrun the trooper.
A mistrial was declared in Comerzan's first trial in May 2017.