Courtroom confession from driver who was drunk when she killed Vikings rookie in crash

The driver accused of being drunk when she struck and killed Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson and two of his high school friends in a high-speed collision in Maryland has confessed and is now facing prison time.

Jackson, a fourth-round 2024 NFL draft pick out of the University of Oregon and a Maryland native, died in the wreck that occurred shortly after 3:10 a.m. on July 6, 2024, in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Upper Marlboro, Md.

Cori Imani Clingman, 25, pleaded guilty Friday in a Prince George’s County courtroom to three counts of negligent homicide under the influence of alcohol.

The county’s State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said her office will recommend Clingman receive a 15-year sentence, but with 12 of those years set aside. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 4, when a judge will decide whether to accept the terms.

Also killed in the same vehicle with Jackson were his close friends and former Upper Marlboro Wise High School teammates: passenger Anthony Lytton Jr., 24, and the driver, 23-year-old Isaiah Hazel. Clingman attended Wise as well.

Speaking after the hearinga, Jackson said, “Incidents like these are not just accidents. They are preventable tragedies that occur from conscious choices. Driving under the influence is a crime. Speeding ... is a crime.”

Separately, in a statement issued by her office, Jackson said that “while [this] plea brings a measure of accountability, I know that it cannot ease the heartbreak or bring back Khyree, Isaiah, and Anthony. I hope that this case serves as a reminder of how quickly lives can change and brings greater awareness to our community about the dangers of reckless and impaired driving.”

She was driving an Infiniti Q50 at more than 100 miles per hour when she tried to change lanes on northbound Pennsylvania Avenue to pass Hazel’s speeding Dodge Charger, according to State Police. Instead, she struck the Charger, sending it off the road.

The Charger hit multiple tree stumps before stopping, police said.

Jackson and Hazel died at the scene, and Lytton died at a nearby hospital. Clingman and her two passengers were uninjured, as was the driver of a Chevrolet Impala that was also struck by the Infiniti, police said.

A Maryland grand jury indicted Clingman on three counts each of negligent manslaughter; criminally negligent manslaughter; negligent homicide while operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol; and homicide while driving impaired by alcohol. She was also charged with one count of drunken driving.

All but the three negligent homicide counts are expected to be dismissed at sentencing.

Jackson was a 2024 fourth-round draft pick by the Vikings, the fifth-oldest rookie out of 257 selected. He arrived in Minnesota after an improbable journey to the NFL. He had quit football and was working at a grocery store and a Chipotle before returning to the sport. He eventually played two years at Alabama before finishing his college career with one season at Oregon, where he was named first-team All-Pac-12.

Coming on the eve of the start of the 2024 Vikings training camp, Jackson’s death stunned the team just as it was preparing for the new season. Vikings leadership reached out to support Jackson’s family, paying for his funeral along with the remainder of his signing bonus to his estate.

Lytton was a cornerback for Penn State and also for Florida State. Hazel played for the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.