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Arizona mother sentenced for DUI crash that killed 5-year-old daughter

Jill Marie Knox was found guilty of manslaughter for causing a car crash in Yavapai County that killed her 5-year-old daughter.

YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. — An Arizona mother has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for driving impaired and causing a crash that killed her 5-year-old daughter in 2020.

Jill Marie Knox, 48, of Rimrock was sentenced last week at the Yavapai County Superior Court after a jury found her guilty of manslaughter, aggravated assault, criminal damage, and aggravated DUI.

On Feb. 10, 2020, Knox drove into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on with a Ford F-150 truck. 

Knox's 5-year-old was in the car's backseat and sustained fatal injuries from the collision. She wasn't strapped into a car seat. 

Both drivers were flown to Flagstaff Medical Center for multiple injuries.

Knox admitted to taking multiple prescription drugs and using marijuana earlier in the day before she drove, prosecutors said.

"The tragic results of drugged driving are sadly shown in this case," said Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, "the loss of an innocent child and significant injuries to the innocent driver on the road."

Credit: Yavapai County Sheriff's Office

RELATED: Arizona data shows drugged driving arrests are on the rise

RELATED: Valley driver told police he was going 130 mph before causing fatal crash

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