An Oklahoma mother has pleaded guilty to shooting and killing her teenage daughter while aiming at a stray dog.
Amanda Myrene Fields Moffett, 43, was sentenced in court this week for the tragic 2018 shooting of her 16-year-old daughter Laramie.
The shooting occurred on October 5, 2018, outside the family home in Nowata, Oklahoma, after Laramie alerted her mother that a stray dog was attacking kittens near their property.
Moffett stepped onto the porch and fired a gun into the darkness, pulling the trigger before confirming that her daughter was out of the line of fire.
After admitting charges of involuntary manslaughter, she faces up to eight years in prison.
Amanda Myrene Fields Moffett, 43, admitted to ‘gross negligence’ in the 2018 shooting of her daughter Laramie, 16, because she thought she was aiming at a stray dog
Described as “always having a smile on her face,” Laramie was a passionate rodeo sports fanatic with an aptitude for barrel racing.
When tragedy struck, it is believed Laramie was outside saving the kittens when she was hit by the stray bullet.
Moffett admitted to “gross negligence” in her plea deal and acknowledged that she failed to check her daughter’s whereabouts before opening fire.
“I went out to my porch and fired a gun at what I believed was the stray dog,” Moffett wrote in her federal plea deal.
“When I discharged the firearm, it was dark outside and I knew (my daughter) was outside my house rescuing the dog’s kittens. “I did not verify that (my daughter) was not in my line of fire when I fired the gun.”
The mother added that the firing of the gun was the “direct and proximate cause” of her daughter’s death.
Following her guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson said, “Every gun owner has a legal responsibility to exercise the utmost caution when discharging a firearm.
“This case unfortunately highlights the potential tragic consequences without that caution.”
Moffett, a Cherokee citizen, was initially charged in Nowata County District Court with first-degree murder with malice.
The case was later dismissed after being filed as unlawful, raising questions about the number of shots fired and whether the mother and daughter had been arguing the night of the shooting.
Federal prosecutors did not decide to take up the case until five years after the shooting, on September 16.
Laramie’s death initially resulted in a murder charge before the case was dismissed. Her mother’s guilty plea this week came after federal prosecutors took over the case five years later
Moffett will be on supervised release until her sentencing, a date for which no date has yet been set.
Officials added that a federal judge will consider sentencing guidelines and statutory factors in sentencing, with her guilty plea likely resulting in a sentence reduction of zero to 16 months, according to the plea agreement.
Following the horrific accident, tributes poured in for the teenager, with loved ones remembering her as a vibrant teenager who was passionate about rodeo sports.
“Laramie always had a smile on her face,” read one heartbreaking message obituary for the teenager.
“She loved all animals, especially her horses, show calves. She was an accomplished rider in rodeo. She wasn’t afraid of animals, she rode bulls and bareback broncs. She especially enjoyed barrel racing and tug-of-war.”
Laramie was known as an exceptional barrel racer, qualifying for the world finals of barrel racing in the National Barrel Horse Association.
A mother of one of the 16-year-old’s friends commented on the obituary: ‘I absolutely loved her. And I am so grateful for the friendship she and Emily shared. I thank you all for loving my daughter as your own. We will miss Laramie forever.