Dustin Dennis pleads guilty after his children die in truck
Tegan, 4, and Ryan, 3, Dennis died of heat exposure in their father’s truck. Their father, Dustin, was sleeping off a cocaine high when the children died. He also claimed that he was tired after playing videos games most of the previous night. Video surveillance shows the children were found dead four hours after they entered the truck.
Dennis was previously charged in state court but since his children were members of the Cherokee nation and the deaths occurred on Muscogee Nation land, the charges were dropped after last years Supreme Court ruling. That ruling said that Oklahoma does not have standing in criminal cases where the victims or defendants are Indian and the crime occurred on Indian land.
The case was sent to federal court where Dennis plead guilty to child neglect. He is expected to receive 3-6 years in prison when sentenced on November 10.
