Woman pleads guilty to crash that killed NFL player, 2 friends
The suspect in a high-speed drunk driving crash in Prince George’s County that killed three friends, one of whom was an NFL player, pleaded guilty on Friday. The victims were all former Wise High School students and football teammates. FOX 5’s Bob Barnard is live at the courthouse in Upper Marlboro with the update.
PRINCE GEORGE’S CO., Md. – The suspect in a high-speed drunk driving crash in Prince George’s County that killed three friends, one of whom was an NFL player, pleaded guilty on Friday.
The victims were all former Wise High School students and football teammates.
FOX 5’s Bob Barnard is live at the courthouse in Upper Marlboro with the update.
Emotional day in court:
There were a lot of tears in the courtroom on Friday.
The families of all four people involved were there to witness the plea deal as it was accepted by a judge. None of them wanted to speak publicly afterward.
Defendant Cori Clingman left the courthouse surrounded by family and friends. She’s on private home detention and has been for some time.
In court, she told the judge, “yes, your honor,” when asked if she knew what she was doing in entering a guilty plea.
Clingman has been convicted on three counts of negligent homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol — one count for each of the three young men who died in that high-speed crash in July 2024.
“Each count that Ms. Clingman has pleaded to carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and based on the circumstances of this case, we are recommending a sentence of 15 years, suspend all but three. The judge, of course, will make the final decision,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said.
Tragic loss:
Khyree Jackson, Anthony Lytton, Jr. and Isaiah Hazel were friends and former classmates at Wise High School in Upper Marlboro.
They were teammates on the school’s 2016 state championship football team and Jackson had just been drafted to play in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.
“Incidents like these are not just accidents. They are preventable tragedies that occur from conscious choices,” Jackson said.
The backstory:
Jackson says the men were killed in a car Hazel was driving at 130 miles per hour after it spun out of control and struck a tree stump.
Investigators say Clingman caused the accident on the night of July 6, 2024, swerving into their lane after clipping another car. Prosecutors say she was driving 109 miles an hour and was legally drunk at the time.
Her blood alcohol level estimated to be between 0.12 and 0.18 at the time of the crash on Route 4 near Dower House Road. Prosecutors say all four individuals were friends and had been at a nightclub in Upper Marlboro until about 3 a.m.
“If there’s anything I could say to the public today is to take a look at what happened in this case and the lives that were lost. The families that are now grieving and just, is it worth it? Is it worth it to speed? Is it worth it to get behind a wheel of a car after you’ve been drinking? And I think that resounding answer is no. No, it’s not,” Jackson said.
What’s next:
Clingman’s sentencing is in February. The state is asking Judge William Snoddy to order her to spend three years in prison.
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