TULSA, Okla. — Keiosha Rucker, a woman charged in a deadly crash involving a Tulsa fire truck, received five life sentences in court on Jan. 9th.
In February 2024, Tulsa police said Keiosha Rucker failed to yield in front of a Tulsa fire truck near 41st Street and S. Harvard. Police say the truck had sirens on and was headed to an apartment fire.
WATCH: Woman charged in deadly fire truck crash receives five life sentences
Six people were in Rucker’s car — a one-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, and three women aged 23, 26, and 28.
The wreck claimed the lives of all three children and the 23-year-old woman. The 26-year-old was in her second trimester of pregnancy and lost the baby. Rucker and the 26-year-old both recovered from their injuries.
At the emotional sentencing, her attorney argued that Rucker has no criminal history and that family has forgiven her. There were also questions surrounding the speed of the fire truck and whether firefighters used caution while driving through the crowded area.
The fire truck was travelling 67 miles an hour and there is no indication the driver slowed down to get through the area. Rucker turned into the fire truck as it was passing her vehicle.
Rucker also pleaded no contest to driving under the influence. Cocaine and marijuana were in the car. Officers testified that the test results concluded it was likely those drugs were likely used within the last 12 hours.
Originally, the DA’s office offered Rucker a 50-year sentence, which she declined. However, since that original offer, some damning cell phone calls were discovered and used as evidence at sentencing. In one of them, the caller was asking Rucker about no longer using marijuana. Rucker responded, ‘Hell, no, when I get out, I’m going to smoke a blunt.’
“The calls that she made showed what her mindset was, that she really didn’t feel that bad and that she was not remorseful at all,” said John Tjeerdsma, Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney.
In the end, Judge David Guten said this story was a tremendous tragedy, and if the loss of life in the accident was not enough to change her behaviors, nothing will change her behaviors.
Rucker’s attorney declined to comment after sentencing.
Four of Rucker’s five life sentences will run concurrently, with the last one to run consecutively, meaning she will spend at least 40 years behind bars without a chance for parole.
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