Tiffin Charged in His Mother's Death

Second-degree murder is the charge, not a finding that he set out to kill her. Karen Curthoys is dead, and that is the harm this case is about. The state still has to prove how that car moved in the driveway. An arrest does not decide it.

John Tiffin, 31, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Karen Curthoys, 69. He is also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, reckless driving, and obstructing an officer. Police arrested him the night of Nov. 10. He was booked into the Tulsa County Jail after a hospital check.

Police say Curthoys lent him her car on Oct. 7 and he did not bring it back. She and his brother tracked it with an AirTag on her dog's collar. The dog was with Tiffin. On the night of Oct. 8, officers were called around 8:45 p.m. to a driveway near 38th Street and Mingo Road. During a confrontation he put the car in reverse, the open door struck his brother, and Curthoys was pinned between the two vehicles. She died from her injuries on Oct. 12.

Detectives obtained a warrant. Fugitive officers and a police dog went to the home where he was staying. He did not come out. The dog found him in a bedroom, holding knives and trying to harm himself. He put the knives down after officers told him to. He was taken to a hospital before he was booked. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.