A status conference has been scheduled for a Tulsa woman charged with first degree manslaughter and multiple other felony offenses whose trial was declared a mistrial earlier this year and is to be retried.
Candice Rene Conley, 29, of Tulsa, was formally charged in Lincoln County District Court on Jan, 2, 2020 with the manslaughter count following a collision that occurred on Jan. 1, 2020 that left an Edmond woman dead.
The week-long trial began on Monday, Feb. 14. 2022 and jurors spent nearly four hours in deliberations on Friday, Feb. 18, when they returned and indicated they were unable to reach a verdict.
District Judge Cindy Ashwood, who presided over the case, then declared a mistrial and the jury was excused from the courtroom. She ordered Conley would remain on the $100,000 bond and the judge ordered a status conference for May 13, 2022.
During that status conference, the state announced it planned on re-trying the case. The judge set it for the felony disposition docket on Sep. 27 and scheduled a jury trial on Oct. 17.
On Sep. 27, the defendant and state waived a jury trial and Judge Ashwood set it for a non-jury docket for Nov. 1. On Nov. 15, the state’s motion for a continuance was granted by the judge and a status conference was scheduled for Dec. 13.
On that date, the state requested time to hire an expert and the defendant objected. Judge Ashwood allowed the state to seek and endorse an expert and a status conference has been set for Jan. 17.
In the first degree manslaughter charge, Conley was accused of recklessly driving on Jan. 1, 2020 on the Turner Turnpike at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, a misdemeanor, without regard for the lives or safety of others and colliding with a vehicle driven by Mercedes Rose Tyler, causing her fatal injuries.
In leaving the scene of a fatality accident count, she was accused of driving away from that fatal accident and then further fleeing her own vehicle.
In addition to the manslaughter count, Conley was originally charged also with leaving the scene of a fatality accident, a felony; assault and battery with a deadly weapon; six counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon after former conviction of a felony; and four counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury.
By Feb. 17, when the trial was on its next to last day, a third amended information was filed. Still in tact were the first degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatality accident charges. Also, there were still seven counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon but the after felony conviction had been dropped from each of the those.
And two of the four leaving the scene of an accident involving injury counts had been dropped.
State Trooper Mathew Conway said the fatal collision occurred Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020 on the Turner Turnpike near mile marker 175. According to an affidavit, Conway said he learned that a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe was driving westbound at a very high rate of speed.
He reported the vehicle driven by Conley struck a 2008 Nissan Versa driven by Tyler, causing Tyler to leave the roadway and ejecting Tyler causing her death.
He stated Conley continued westbound on the turnpike striking several other vehicles for approximately five miles before her vehicle left the roadway, coming to rest while her car was fully engulfed.
The trooper said Conley exited her vehicle and ran west, took off all her clothing and was found about one half mile from her vehicle by Lincoln County deputies.
According to the affidavit, Conley, once she was apprehended, told officers she was attempting to get to her son in Dallas, Texas. She acknowledged to the officers, too, that she had children’s cough medicine and had smoked marijuana around 10 hours prior to the collisions.