INDIANA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: Amanda Moffett has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for accidentally killing her teenage daughter while trying to shoot a stray dog. The incident took place in 2018.
On Monday, September 2, Moffett pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter in Indiana County. “Every gun owner has the legal responsibility to use extreme caution when discharging a firearm,” said US Attorney Clinton Johnson in a press release.
“This case unfortunately highlights the potential tragic results absent that caution,” he added.
When did Laramie Moffett die?
The unfortunate event took place on October 5, 2018, when Amanda’s daughter Laramie Moffett informed her mother about a stray dog attacking kittens outside the family house in Nowata.
“I went out onto my front porch and discharged a handgun at what I believed was the stray dog,” Amanda Moffett wrote in her federal plea agreement.
“When I discharged the firearm, it was dark outside, and I knew [my daughter] was outside of my home trying to save the kittens from the dog. I did not verify that [my daughter] was not in my line of fire when I discharged the handgun.”
“Laramie always had a smile on her face. She loved all animals, mostly her horses, show calves. She was an accomplished rider in rodeo," mentioned eulogy.
“She had no fear of animals, she rode bulls, and bareback broncs. Mostly she loved her barrel racing and roping. Laramie won many awards in barrel racing. She qualified for world barrel racing finals in the National Barrel Horse Association.”
What did plea agreement say?
The plea agreement mentions that a sentence between zero and 16 months will be sufficient since “the defendant’s early pre-indictment acceptance of responsibility, the strength of the evidence and known trial risks, governmental and judicial economy, and the interests of justice.”
The other specifications mentioned in the plea agreement, are “including: the merits of the initial investigation, probable witness credibility issues, litigation risk for the government and the defendant, the savings of time and potential resources to both parties that pre-indictment resolution obtains, the relationship between the defendant and the victim and the grief suffered by all related parties, and the value that outcome certainty by pre-indictment resolution provides.”
As per her plea agreement, Amanda who is on supervised release will be surrendering her pistol and ammunition. The court has not decided on a sentencing date according to court documents, as per Law and Crime.
