Jury Finds Woman Guilty Of Manslaughter In 2018 Deadly Crash

A jury found a woman guilty of manslaughter in the death of a state employee on Wednesday, according to the district attorney.

A release from District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna stated that 52-year-old Dia Russel was found guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree after a vehicle collision that killed Kenneth Akins in July of 2018.

The release stated that on July 2, 2018, Midwest City police were called to Northeast 23rd Street due to a crash involving multiple vehicles. Police found during an investigation that Russel was driving eastbound on Northeast 23rd when she veered into the center lane and hit Akins' vehicle as he was stopped.

Akins was transported from the scene to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased, according to the release.

Russel was also injured in the crash, and while in the hospital police obtained a search warrant, and Russel's blood was drawn, the release stated. The release continued saying, that after testing by OSBI, traces of PSP, cocaine, and Ambien were found in Russel's system.

A search warrant also revealed Russel was traveling 74 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone at the time of the crash, the release stated.

Russel's formal hearing is set for May 13, 2024, according to the release.