Driver Who Caused Crash That Killed NFL Rookie Khyree Jackson Pleads Guilty to Negligent Homicide By Kimberlee Speakman

The driver who caused the fatal car crash that killed NFL rookie Khyree Jackson and two others in July 2024 has pleaded guilty.

Cori Clingman, 25, pleaded guilty to three counts of negligent homicide under the influence of alcohol in a Maryland court on Friday, Nov. 7, according to ESPN and local outlets WJLA and WUSA9.

Prosecutors will recommend a five-year prison sentence for each count, suspending all but one year to run consecutively as part of Clingman’s plea deal, according to WJLA. This means that she will likely serve three years in prison, per the outlet.

Clingman was arrested and initially charged with 13 counts, including negligent manslaughter, homicide as a result of negligent driving and drunken driving in January. 

The car crash resulted in the deaths of Jackson, who was set to debut as the Minnesota Vikings’ rookie cornerback in the NFL’s 2024-2025 season, and two of his former high school football teammates, Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton, Jr., 24. 

According to the Maryland State Police, Hazel had been driving a Dodge Charger, with Jackson in the passenger seat and Lytton in the backseat, when Clingman’s silver Infiniti Q50 “struck” their vehicle 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,” police said at the time, per ESPN. 

“The Charger subsequently traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck multiple tree stumps where the vehicle came to rest,” police added.

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Jackson and Hazel were pronounced dead at the scene, and Lytton was transported to a hospital, where he later died. Clingman, her passengers and the driver of the Chevrolet Impala all survived with no injuries.

Prince George County Prosecutor Aisha Braveboy said following Clingman’s arrest that her blood alcohol content was “at least” above the legal limit of 0.08% in Maryland, per ESPN.

Braveboy also said at the time that one or more vehicles traveled at “very high” speeds before the crash. She would not specify which of the cars was speeding. Per The Minnesota Star-Tribune, court records show that Clingman has been cited twice for speeding since 2018. In one of the incidents, she reportedly was going 100 mph in a 55-mph zone.

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Clingman’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2026.

At the time of the accident, Jackson was one month away from his 25th birthday, and had been chosen as the Vikings’ fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. 

After his death, the Vikings donated $20,000 toward expenses for Jackson’s funeral and also paid out his $827,148 signing bonus to his estate.