Murder Charge Dismissed For Man Accused Of Hitting, Killing Edmond Officer

The state filed amended charges dismissing Jay Fite's second degree murder charge. Fite's attorney said this was the right decision.

Fite appeared in Judge Perry Hudson's chambers Friday morning. His court appearance only lasted a few minutes because he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. 

His attorney, Billy Coyle, said the state amended his charges. He's now facing manslaughter in the first degree by driving under the influence, and they added an alternative count of first degree manslaughter by speeding. 

“We think murder in the second degree was an over charge, but we also felt like it was best to get rid of that charge,” Coyle said.

Police said in July, Fite was driving a utility truck that crashed into a group of vehicles that were stopped at a red light on Broadway extension near Comfort Drive. The crash killed Edmond police sergeant CJ Nelson.

RELATED: Edmond Officer Identified In Deadly Multi-Vehicle Accident

Investigators said Fite had meth and other drugs in his system when he crashed into Nelson. According to an arrest affidavit, Fite told police "he was overworked and very tired" and admitted he was "going too fast and was not able to stop" before the crash.

“We entered a plea of not guilty. We believe this was an accident at the end of the day. Now how far that we get, we’ll see but we’re going to continue to fight for Jay Fite,” Coyle said.

Fite said hello to his dad on his way out the courthouse. His father tells News 9 his son is a good guy that had an accident and they support him.

Fite's next court appearance will be April 12th at 9 a.m. He is still in custody at the Oklahoma County Detention Center and his bond is $750,000.