Okla. woman pleads guilty to fatally shooting daughter while trying to kill stray dog
10/05/2023 11:37 am PDT
TULSA, Okla. (TCD) -- A 43-year-old mother faces a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison for accidentally killing her 16-year-old daughter in Indian Country in 2018.
According to an Oct. 2 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Amanda Moffett pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with her daughter’s death.
On the evening of Oct. 5, 2018, Moffett’s daughter, identified by KSNF-TV as Laramie Moffett, alerted her mother about a stray dog attacking kittens outside their home. Moffett reportedly went onto the porch and discharged a firearm at what she thought was the stray dog but fatally shot her daughter instead.
Moffett admitted in federal court that she did not "confirm that her daughter was out of her line of fire."
According to court documents obtained by KSNF, Moffett, a Cherokee Nation resident, was originally charged with first-degree murder in Nowata County District Court, but the case was dismissed after Moffett’s attorney claimed she was wrongfully charged.
The victim and her mother had allegedly been arguing before the shooting, and officials were initially unsure how many times Laramie Moffett had been shot.
Amanda Moffett reportedly said she fired at the dog, causing it to run away. She also claimed the gun fired by itself after she dropped it on the ground.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson said, "Every gun owner has the legal responsibility to use extreme caution when discharging a firearm. This case unfortunately highlights the potential tragic results absent that caution."
Moffett remains on supervised release until her sentencing, which has not yet been set.
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