TULSA, Okla. — A Cherokee Nation resident charged in the slaying of her 16-year-old daughter pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Laramie Moffett died on Oct. 5, 2018. Her mother, Amanda Moffett, 43, of Nowata, entered the plea to the teen’s death saying she accidentally shot the teen while attempting to shoot a stray dog.
“Every gun owner has the legal responsibility to use extreme caution when discharging a firearm. This case, unfortunately, highlights the potentially tragic results absent that caution.”
U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson
Laramie Moffett told her mother that a stray dog was attacking kittens outside their home. Amanda Moffett confessed to stepping out onto the front porch and discharging the handgun into the dark at what she believed was a stray dog, according to federal court documents.
Moffett also admitted that she did not confirm the whereabouts of her daughter while shooting the handgun.
She was initially charged in Nowata County District Court with first-degree murder with deliberate intent. The case was dismissed after Winston Connor, II, Moffett’s attorney argued the mother, who is a Cherokee Nation resident, was wrongfully charged in state court.
Initially, there were discrepancies in how many times the teen was shot and that prior to the shooting the mother and daughter had been arguing, according to Nowata County District Court documents.
The Nowata County court motion states Moffett fired at the dog, which yelped and ran away. Moffett told Nowata County deputies the gun was firing by itself and she threw the gun into the yard and it fired again.
Federal authorities picked up the case on Sept. 13, almost five years after the teen was killed, court records show.
Moffett faces a maximum of eight years in federal prison. A date for sentencing has not been set. Moffett will remain on conditions of supervised release until sentencing.
