Man Gets 4 Years in Drug Dealer Death

A man who was arrested after spontaneously confessing that he was involved in the unsolved death of a drug dealer pleaded guilty Monday to felony hit-and-run and was sentenced to four years in state prison.

Prosecutors dismissed murder charges against Kurt Allensworth, 30, who admitted to police that he was driving the car that Rick Comi fell from on Sept. 27.

Comi, 33, was killed during a dispute over the value of a gold chain that Allensworth wanted to use to pay for $20 worth of rock cocaine, authorities said. Comi reached into Allensworth’s vehicle to retrieve his drugs, but Allensworth sped off, according to testimony given at Allensworth’s preliminary hearing.

Comi fell from the car and struck his head, according to investigators.

Allensworth was arrested one month later when he was stopped for an unrelated traffic offense and told police that he was involved in Comi’s death.

“The facts of the case make it very difficult for us to prove it was murder,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Larry Diamond said.

Defense attorney Sandra L. Sonntag agreed, saying prosecutors would not have been able to prove Allensworth’s intent to commit murder. Prosecutors must prove intent to obtain a murder conviction.