Del City woman convicted of manslaughter

Ashlynd Huffman, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·2 min read

Sep. 18—Cleveland County jurors recommended a hefty prison sentence for a woman charged with manslaughter in 2019.

Tiffany Lashay Hughes, 36, of Del City, was charged with first-degree manslaughter in 2019 for a fatal collision at Highway 77 and 60th Street that killed John Grimes in 2018.

Hughes' license was suspended at the time of the collision and had been suspended for several years.

The jury trial was scheduled for Monday, but Hughes was hospitalized and began Tuesday before Judge Thad Balkman. The trial was slated to last throughout the week but ended on Thursday with a guilty verdict.

Cleveland County prosecutors Abby Nathan and John Salmon appeared on behalf of the state. Defense attorney John Jenson represented Hughes.

Typically, a manslaughter charge carries a minimum of four years, but due to Hughes' prior convictions, the charge was enhanced since she had previous convictions.

In 2007, Hughes was charged with two separate cases in Cleveland County. On March 13, 2007, she was charged with attempting to obtain a controlled dangerous substance by fraud and received a deferred sentence.

On May 7, 2007, Hughes was charged with assault and battery on a detention officer. She also got a deferred sentence with a probation term of five years.

In 2008, Hughes was charged again with attempting to obtain a controlled dangerous substance by fraud and unauthorized possession of a prescription in Oklahoma County.

In 2010, Hughes was charged with aggravated eluding of a police officer and two counts of larceny of merchandise from a retailer in Oklahoma County.

In 2011, Hughes was charged in Oklahoma County with attempting to obtain a controlled dangerous substance by a forged prescription. In a separate case, Hughes was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The previous convictions elevated the manslaughter charge to a minimum sentence of 20 years with a maximum of life in prison. The jury recommended a sentence of 20 years for Hughes.

Hughes will appear for formal sentencing at 2 p.m. on Dec. 20.