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Chocolate heiress in fatal crash

LEESBURG, Virginia - A 'misdemeanour reckless driving' charge has been filed against the world's seventh-richest woman for causing a fatal car crash.

A search warrant affidavit filed by a country sheriff's office says 74-year-old Jacqueline Badger Mars told a witness immediately after the October 4 crash in Aldie, Virginia, that she fell asleep at the wheel. Initially Mars was not charged when the incident took place.

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The elderly woman is the daughter of the man who founded the Mars Inc chocolate company and has been 'richest-ranked' by Forbes magazine. She will appear in court on December 5 2013.

The sheriff's office says her Porsche SUV crossed the dividing line on a two-lane road in Aldie in the early afternoon and collided with a minivan. An 86-year-old woman in the van, Irene Ellisor, was killed.

Mars family spokesman Kent Jarrell said: "As court proceedings begin, Jacquie's thoughts and prayers remain with those who have suffered injury and loss. She regrets this tragic accident."
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