Clinton J. Johnson U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma
Aaron Douglas Brixey, a 27-year-old resident of Pryor, was sentenced on Mar. 24 to six years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country, U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson announced.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell handed down the sentence of 72 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release after Brixey pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fatal car crash.
According to court documents, the incident occurred in February 2025 when Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers responded to reports of a multi-car collision. Witnesses told authorities that after rear-ending two vehicles and fleeing the scene, Brixey struck another car with his silver vehicle, causing it to roll over and ejecting Matthew Gatewood, who died as a result.
Troopers found Brixey's car emitting smoke and assisted him from the driver's seat. They noted he smelled strongly of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet; beer cans were also visible inside the vehicle. When medical personnel attempted treatment, Brixey became combative and had to be detained by law enforcement officers.
A blood test later revealed that Brixey's blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.171—more than twice the legal limit—and toxicology results showed THC present in his system as well. The press release states that just forty-five days before this fatal crash, Brixey had been accused of driving while intoxicated during another accident that injured two people; those charges are pending in Cherokee Nation District Court.
Brixey is identified as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and will remain in custody pending transfer to federal prison facilities under supervision by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Flynn prosecuted.
