Judge To Decide If Manslaughter Charge Will Be Dropped Due To Tribal Jurisdictions

A judge will soon decide whether to drop the final manslaughter charge against a man who killed three members of one family in a 2009 crash on Christmas Eve.

Wade Jameson was originally convicted of three counts of first-degree manslaughter, but two of those convictions have already been dismissed due to the recent Supreme Court ruling on tribal jurisdictions.

The first two counts were dismissed because the two victims were Choctaw. Now, Jameson’s attorney argues Jameson is Cherokee. If the judge decides that is the case, then, the third count of manslaughter will also be gone.

Jameson pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2010 for killing Michael, Angela and their son James Mulanax. Jameson was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

After the recent Supreme Court ruling on McGirt v. Oklahoma, it was determined that Angela and James were Choctaw Indian, so those two cases were dismissed.

Jameson’s attorney's presented evidence to the court Friday trying to prove Jameson is Cherokee Indian.Prosecutors said Jameson didn't formally become a Cherokee member until 2010, which was a year after the accident.

His attorneys said Jameson has always been involved in the Cherokee culture and has family history that ties him to the Cherokee tribe.

The judge said she will review the evidence and will have a decision within the next 30 days.