The person responsible for the catastrophic vehicle crash that killed NFL rookie Khyree Jackson and two others in July 2024 has pled guilty.
Cori Clingman, 25, pleaded guilty to three counts of negligent murder while under the influence of alcohol in a Maryland court on Friday, November 7, according to ESPN and local stations WJLA and WUSA9.
According to WJLA, prosecutors will recommend a five-year jail term for each count, suspended save for one year to run consecutively, as part of Clingman’s plea deal. This means she will most certainly serve three years in prison, according to the site.
In January, Clingman was arrested and charged with 13 counts, including negligent manslaughter, homicide caused by careless driving, and intoxicated driving.
The automobile crash killed Jackson, who was expected to make his NFL debut as the Minnesota Vikings’ rookie cornerback in the 2024-2025 season, as well as two of his former high school football teammates, Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton, Jr., 24.
According to Maryland State Police, Hazel was driving a Dodge Charger with Jackson in the passenger seat and Lytton in the backseat when Clingman’s silver Infiniti Q50 “struck” their car and another vehicle, a Chevrolet Impala.
“Investigators believe Clingman attempted to change lanes while driving at a high rate of speed when she struck the Dodge Charger and then struck the Chevrolet Impala,” the police reported at the time, according to ESPN.
“The Charger subsequently traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck multiple tree stumps where the vehicle came to rest,” according to authorities.
Jackson and Hazel were pronounced dead on the scene, and Lytton was taken to the hospital, where he died. Clingman, her passengers, and the driver of the Chevrolet Impala all lived unharmed.
Following Clingman’s arrest, Prince George County Prosecutor Aisha Braveboy stated that her blood alcohol content was “at least” above Maryland’s legal limit of 0.08%, according to ESPN.
Braveboy also stated at the time that one or more automobiles had gone at “very high” speeds before to the incident. She wouldn’t say which of the automobiles was speeding. According to court documents obtained by The Minnesota Star-Tribune, Clingman has been penalized twice for speeding since 2018. In one of the encounters, she was allegedly going 100 mph in a 55-mph zone.
Clingman’s sentence is planned for February 4, 2026.
Jackson was one month shy of turning 25 and had been selected as the Vikings’ fourth-round choice in the 2024 NFL draft when he was involved in the tragedy.
Following Jackson’s death, the Vikings provided $20,000 toward funeral expenses and paid out his $827,148 signing bonus to his estate.
