A jury trial before a new judge awaits the Sedalia man accused of involuntary manslaughter following last fall’s crash outside Otterville that killed two people and seriously injured another.

18-year-old Ruvim Izoita is scheduled to go on trial in early February on charges of manslaughter, second-degree assault, and misdemeanor excessive speeding and following another vehicle too closely. He’ll appear before Judge Aaron Koeppen, who was recently assigned to hear the case.

Izoita is accused by the Missouri State Highway Patrol of being behind the wheel of a sedan that struck another sedan in the eastbound lane of U.S. Route 50 that had slowed to turn left onto Old Route 50 the morning of Sept. 16, 2025. The collision sent the second sedan into the westbound lane, where it ran into the front of a westbound vehicle. The driver of the westbound vehicle and a passenger in the turning vehicle died as a result of the crash, while the driver of the turning vehicle sustained serious injury.

According to the patrol’s probable cause statement, troopers obtain details of the crash from an online app, which alleged that Izoita had been driving over 70 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Troopers say data from the app also suggested multiple instances of distracted driving in the minutes leading up to the crash.

Izoita posted bond of 100-thousand dollars shortly after his initial arraignment in January. He re-entered his not guilty plea earlier this week in a Morgan County courtroom. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for the morning of Dec. 28.