Driver In Crash That Killed Vikings Rookie, Friends Enters Plea

UPPER MARLBORO, MD — A 25-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to three counts of negligent homicide under the influence of alcohol after three people died in a crash that prosecutors say she caused.

On July 6, 2024, shortly before 3:15 a.m., Cori Clingman and the victims were both driving at high speeds in separate vehicles on MD-4, also known as Pennsylvania Avenue, according to Maryland State Police. Clingman's silver Infiniti was traveling north on Route 4 when she attempted to change lanes while speeding and, according to police, hit a Dodge Charger occupied by three friends and a Chevrolet Impala.

The Charger veered off the road and crashed into multiple tree stumps before stopping, police said.

The investigation revealed that Clingman’s "reckless driving" caused the crash that killed the three young men inside the other car, prosecutors said, who happened to be Minnesota Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson, 24, and two of his former high school teammates, 23-year-old Isaiah Hazel and 24-year-old Anthony Lytton, Jr.

Jackson was a passenger in the Charger and was pronounced dead at the scene. Hazel was behind the wheel and also pronounce dead at the scene. Lytton was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died. The driver of the Infiniti and two passengers were not hurt, police said. The driver of the Impala also was uninjured.

Jackson was chosen by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, according to ESPN. He played his final season of college football at Oregon. Hazel, 23, played at Maryland and Charlotte. Lytton, 24, played at Florida State and Penn State. All three were teammates at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Patch reported previously.

Clingman will remain on home detention until her sentencing, which has been scheduled for Feb. 4. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years. The state will recommend a sentence of five years, suspending all but one year, for each count, to run consecutively.

“While today’s plea brings a measure of accountability, I know that it cannot ease the heartbreak or bring back Khyree, Isaiah and Anthony, whose lives were lost in this devastating crash,” said State’s Attorney Tara Jackson. “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. As we enter the holiday season, I want to urge everyone to drive safely. The choices we make behind the wheel carry real consequences."

The three men's high school football coach, LaDawn Parrish, spoke with WUSA9 about the loss of the trio shortly after the crash, Patch reported previously.

"All of those young men were tight ... [they] played together," Parrish said. "It's amazing that they went three separate ways in terms of going to college and playing football, but were still always together when they came back home in the summertime. We are all sort of at a loss and you try to get facts from what you think happened and try to know from different reports, but in the end, what you do know is that we lost three young men. That’s final.”