Driver who caused death of Vikings' Khyree Jackson pleads guilty to negligent homicide
The driver who caused the three-car crash that killed Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson and two of his high school teammates last year in Maryland pleaded guilty to three counts of negligent homicide under the influence of alcohol Friday, per ESPN.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years, however, the prosectors will recommend the 25-year-old Cori Clingman serve three years in prison, per The Washington Post, which cited a plea agreement. A Prince George’s County grand jury indicted Clingman in January on 13 counts, but, in exchange for her pleading guilty, prosecutors dropped 10 of the charges, according to The Post.
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Clingman will remain on house arrest until her Feb. 4 sentencing.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 08: A detailed view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet featuring a sticker honoring the death of Khyree Jackson against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 08, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales via Getty Images)
“Incidents like these are not just accidents,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said in a news conference after the hearing, according to The Post.
“They are preventable tragedies that occur from conscious choices.”
The crash took place in the early hours of July 6, 2024. After Clingman, 23 at the time, met up for drinks with a group of friends, including Jackson, she drove two passengers in a silver Infiniti Q50, as reported by The Post. Isaiah Hazel took a red Dodge Charger and drove Jackson as well as their fellow former Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School teammate Anthony Lytton Jr., per The Post.
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Clingman was allegedly going over 100 mph while intoxicated when she hit the Dodge Charger carrying Hazel, Jackson and Lytton, per ESPN’s report.
A Chevrolet Impala was also affected by the crash, but its driver was uninjured. So were Clingman and her passengers. But the Dodge Charger veered off the road and hit multiple tree stumps, ultimately resulting in the deaths of Hazel, Jackson and Lytton.
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Hazel, 23, had played at Maryland and UNC Charlotte. Lytton, 24, played his college ball at Florida State and Penn State.
Jackson had a winding college career that started at Arizona Western College before he took two years off football and worked at a grocery store. He then returned to the field at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas before getting a shot at Alabama. Two seasons after that, he transferred to Oregon, where he became a fourth-round pick during the 2023 season.
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The Vikings selected him in last year’s draft, and Jackson participated in minicamp and OTAs before his death. The team honored Jackson last season with “KJ” helmet decals and pins.
Additionally, the Vikings announced that they would pay Jackson’s full signing bonus to his family.