Oklahoma woman, 43, shoots her teen daughter dead while aiming for stray dog that was attacking kittens on her front porch – as she now faces 8 years in federal prison

An Oklahoma mother has pleaded guilty to shooting and killing her teenage daughter when she was aiming to hit a stray dog.

Amanda Myrene Fields Moffett, 43, was convicted in federal court this week of the tragic 2018 shooting of her 16-year-old daughter Laramie. 

The shooting unfolded on October 5, 2018, outside the family home in Nowata, Oklahoma, after Laramie warned her mom a stray dog was attacking kittens near their property. 

Moffett stepped out onto her porch and fired a handgun into the darkness, pulling the trigger before confirming her daughter was out of the line of fire. 

After admitting to charges of involuntary manslaughter, she faces up to eight years in federal prison. 

Laramie (pictured) was described as ‘always having a smile on her face’, and was a passionate rodeo sports fanatic with an aptitude for barrel racing 

When the tragedy struck, it is believed that Laramie was outside trying to save the kittens when she was hit by the stray bullet. 

Moffett admitted to being ‘grossly negligent’ in her plea agreement, acknowledging she didn’t check on her daughter’s whereabouts before opening fire. 

‘I went out onto my front porch and discharged a handgun at what I believed was the stray dog,’ Moffett wrote in her federal plea agreement. 

‘When I discharged the firearm, it was dark outside, and I knew [my daughter] was outside of my home trying to save the kittens from the dog. I did not verify that [my daughter] was not in my line of fire when I discharged the handgun.’

The mother added that firing the gun was the ‘direct and proximate cause’ of her daughter’s death. 

Following her guilty plea, US Attorney Clinton Johnson said: ‘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.’ 

Moffett, a Cherokee citizen, was initially charged with first-degree murder with deliberate intent in Nowata County District Court. 

The case was later dismissed after it was deemed to be unlawfully filed, with questions being raised over how many shots were fired and whether the mother and daughter had been arguing on the night of the shooting. 

Federal prosecutors only decided to take up the case five years after the shooting, on September 16.

Laramie’s death initially resulted in a murder charge, before the case was dismissed. This week’s guilty plea from her mother came after federal prosecutors took up the case five years later 

Moffett will remain on supervised release until her sentencing, a date for which has not yet been set. 

Officials added that a federal judge will consider sentencing guidelines and statutory factors in the sentencing, with her guilty plea likely to result in a reduced sentence of between zero and 16 months, the plea agreement said. 

Tributes poured in for the teen after the horrific accident, with loved ones remembering her as a vibrant teenager who was passionate about rodeo sports. 

‘Laramie always had a smile on her face,’ read a heartbreaking obituary for the teen. 

‘She loved all animals mostly her horses, show calves. She was an accomplished rider in rodeo. She had no fear of animals, she rode bulls, and bareback broncs. Mostly she loved her barrel racing and roping.’

Laramie was noted as an exceptional barrel racer, who qualified for the world barrel racing finals 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 am so grateful for the friendship she and Emily shared. I thank you all for loving my daughter as your own. We will forever miss Laramie.