Oklahoma Mom Pleads Guilty After Killing Daughter While Trying To Protect Kittens From Stray Dog

An Oklahoma mother who accidentally killed her daughter while trying to protect kittens from a stray dog has been convicted of the slaying. 

Amanda Moffett is at the center of a case that has dragged on for years and called for renewed safety training among gun owners. The deadly shooting took place on October 5th, 2018, in Nowata. That is when the 43-year-old mom was informed by her 16-year-old daughter that a stray dog was viciously going after kittens in their yard. Moffett retrieved her handgun and fired into the dark from her front porch. The dog reportedly yelped and ran into the night. Sadly, the bullet struck her daughter, killing her. 

On Monday, Moffett pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. While her intentions were in the right place, the grieving mother did admit to prosecutors that she did not make sure her daughter was out of the way before the shooting, something U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson says cannot be ignored.

“Every gun owner has the legal responsibility to use extreme caution when discharging a firearm. This case, unfortunately, highlights the potential tragic results absent that caution,” Johnson stated during the plea hearing. 

She was initially facing first-degree murder charges with deliberate intent, KSN 16 confirms. However, there were issues determining how many times the teen was shot. Additionally, there was a notion that the mother and daughter argued prior, which would have given Moffett a possible motive to harm the girl. Those charges were dropped, and federal prosecutors took over the case in September 2023 and decided to move forward with charges. 

Moffett has been out on bond since the shooting. She will learn her fate at a later sentencing hearing.