Photo: Adam Corkill (DeSoto County Jail photo)
10 August 2024 – A Wichita, Kansas, man pleaded guilty this week to manslaughter in a case related to a 2021 car crash near Olive Branch that killed a Hutchinson, Kansas, woman.
Aaron Corkill, 31, of Wichita, Kansas, pleaded guilty in DeSoto County District Court and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of probation upon release.
Corkill was accused of intentionally driving his truck into a bridge abutment on I-22 outside of Olive Branch in late July 2021. The 11 a.m. crash near the I-269 interchange killed Cynthia Teter of Hutchinson, Kansas, who had been reported missing just days earlier. Corkill was injured in the crash and taken to Regional One Health in Memphis in serious condition. The crash closed the eastbound lanes of the interstate until about 12:30 that afternoon.
According to jail records, Corkill was arrested in February of this year and booked into the DeSoto County Adult Detention Center.
Assistant District Attorney Gordon Shaw prosecuted the case for the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office. The investigation was led by the Mississippi Highway Patrol Crash Team.
“While no sentence can bring back Cynthia Teter’s life, I commend District Attorney Shaw and the Mississippi Highway Patrol Crash Team for their dedication in handling this complex case,” said District Attorney Matthew Barton. “Aaron Corkill’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life and the safety of our community, and this maximum sentence underscores our commitment to prosecuting such heinous acts to the fullest extent of the law.”
