Correction: The original story stated Goss is requesting a five-year prison sentence with placement in a 120-day treatment program. If the program is successful, they are requesting the treatment program and probation to replace time spent in prison.
A Mission Hills personal injury attorney has pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and causing a fatal wreck on a Missouri highway in 2024.
On Monday in Johnson County, Missouri, District Court, Peter E. Goss entered a guilty plea to driving while intoxicated and causing the death of another person who was not a passenger in his car, a class B felony.
As part of the plea agreement, two other charges, involuntary manslaughter, a class C felony, and driving in the wrong direction, a class A misdemeanor, were both dropped.
The plea comes almost one year after Goss was charged on June 24, 2025, for causing a fatal wreck near Lone Jack, Missouri, in September 2024 that killed Lee’s Summit resident Kevin Wilson. After he was charged, Goss posted 10% of a set $50,000 bond.
While not required by the court, James Hobbs, Goss’s attorney, said Goss voluntarily surrendered his right to practice law in Kansas last week and would do the same in Missouri this week. (As of Tuesday, Goss remained an attorney in good standing in both states, according to checks with the Kansas Supreme Court Attorney Directory and the Missouri Bar Association.)
Judge Stacey Lett is the presiding judge.
Goss admitted to causing deadly crash
As part of his plea, Goss admitted he was intoxicated on Sept. 20, 2024, when he left The Fantasy Ranch Gentleman’s Club in Centerview, Missouri.
Goss was driving the wrong way on U.S. Highway 50 near Highway Z, when his Chevrolet Suburban collided with a Subaru Legacy driven by Wilson, age 65.
Goss suffered serious injuries and was taken to Research Medical Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the Highway Patrol’s online crash report at the time.
During his plea hearing, Judge Lett covered many details surrounding Goss’s plea, including affirming Goss knew what he was pleading to, that he was of sound mind and body, had not consumed any alcohol or drugs and was receiving adequate legal representation.
Goss also waived his right to a jury trial, which was originally scheduled for the case in July.
While the charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, the plea agreement asks for Goss to be placed in a 120-day treatment program, usually reserved for issues like substance abuse or behavioral problems. If the Department of Corrections determines that the program is successful, he would serve the rest of his requested five-year prison term on probation.
In December 2024, Goss reached a roughly $2 million settlement with Wilson’s two adult children. A Missouri judge finalized the settlement in early January.
Goss was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated
In a probable cause statement accompanying the original criminal complaint, the Missouri Highway Patrol said the trooper who first contacted Goss at the scene collected a preliminary breath test to screen for intoxicants.
A “partial sample of his breath” showed a blood alcohol content of 0.16%, twice the legal limit of 0.08% in Missouri, according to the probable cause statement. Partial breath samples are not admissible in court in some states.
A sentencing memorandum filed by Hobbs, Goss’s attorney, disputes the breath sample, but it does admit that Goss was driving while intoxicated, according to court records.
“While the specific level of the blood alcohol in the defendant’s system is somewhat unclear, there is no dispute that the elements of this offense have been acknowledged and satisfy the legal requirements of evidence showing the defendant operated a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and causing the death of Mr. Kevin Ray Wilson,” the memo says.
Goss founded The Goss Law Firm P.C., practicing out of Kansas City, Missouri. While its website still shows it as an active firm, mentions of Goss’s name have been removed.
What’s next
Goss is scheduled to be sentenced in Johnson County, Missouri, District Court at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 24.
Victim impact statements for Wilson and character letters for Goss are expected to be read during the hearing.
