25-year-old Cori Imani Clingman admitted her role in a tragic chain of events that claimed three young lives last summer. Clingman pleaded guilty on Friday to three counts of negligent homicide under the influence of alcohol, stemming from a July 2024 crash that killed Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson and two of his high school teammates.
The plea marks a pivotal moment of accountability in a case that has reverberated through the NFL community and beyond, highlighting the devastating consequences of impaired and reckless driving. Prosecutors described the collision not as a mere accident, but as a “preventable tragedy” born from conscious choices.
The fatal incident unfolded in the early hours of July 6, 2024, along Maryland Route 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) in Upper Marlboro. Clingman and the victims—Jackson, 24; Isaiah Hazel, 23; and Anthony Lytton Jr., 24—were all friends who had been out celebrating together earlier that evening. As the group drove in separate vehicles at high speeds, investigators determined that Clingman, behind the wheel of her Infiniti Q50 sedan, was engaged in street racing with another car.
Traveling in excess of 100 mph and intoxicated by alcohol, Clingman veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into a Dodge Charger driven by Hazel, in which Jackson and Lytton were passengers. The impact sent the Charger careening off the road, where it struck multiple tree stumps. Jackson and Hazel were pronounced dead at the scene, while Lytton succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.
Clingman, her two passengers, and the driver of a third vehicle—a Chevrolet Impala—escaped uninjured, but the crash left an indelible scar on the victims’ families and communities.
Khyree Jackson’s death sent shockwaves through the sports world just months after he realized his NFL dream. Selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, the Oregon product had impressed during the team’s minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs). One month shy of his 25th birthday, Jackson was poised for a promising professional career, building on a college journey that included stints at Alabama and Oregon after starting at community college.
His companions were no less accomplished. Isaiah Hazel, the Charger’s driver, had played college football at the University of Maryland and Charlotte. Anthony Lytton Jr. had suited up for Florida State and Penn State. All three were alumni of Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, where their football prowess forged lifelong bonds—a brotherhood tragically severed in an instant.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Vikings organization stepped up to support Jackson’s family, covering funeral costs and directing the remainder of his signing bonus to his estate.
Clingman initially faced 13 charges, including multiple counts of manslaughter and driving under the influence. Under the plea agreement, she entered guilty pleas to the three negligent homicide counts, with the remaining charges slated for dismissal at sentencing. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Prosecutors plan to recommend a total sentence of 15 years, but with 12 years suspended—effectively three years of incarceration served consecutively. Clingman will remain on home detention until her sentencing hearing on February 4, 2026, when a judge will decide whether to accept the deal.
