Plea deal expected on man who is charged with the deaths of two Guthrie teachers

Updated on April 11 at 10:40 a.m. — Man pleads guilty in killing of two Guthrie teachers; sentenced to 20 years

A Midwest City man charged with two counts of first degree manslaughter following a traffic accident that killed two Guthrie school teachers is expected to reach a plea deal and be sentenced next week in Payne County.

Rocky Steven Baca, 38, was travelling east in the westbound lane in a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan on State Highway 33 (six miles west from Perkins) when he collided with another vehicle and killing Guthrie Public School teachers Jennifer Briggs, 24, and Heather Wilson, 27, at the scene. The teachers were carpooling together from Stillwater. Related story: Junior High teachers killed in vehicle accident

Inside a Payne County courtroom, Baca pleaded not guilty in Feb. 2015 and less than four months later a judge ruled their was enough probable cause for a trial.

The case was set for a May trial, but court records show a plea deal and sentencing is set for Monday, April 11 at 10 a.m. in front of District Court Judge Phillip Corley.

Guthrie News Page has learned Baca has agreed to 20 years of jail time and probation.

In court papers, a trooper discovered a lunch box with Baca’s name scribed on the side and noticed a pipe and a package containing a green leafy substance while conducting an inventory of Baca’s caravan.

Baca, who remains in police custody, was mediflighted to OU Medical Center and is when he told investigators he fell asleep and smoked the substance “Frankenstein” and had taken an over the counter sleep aid. Baca went on to say he woke up sometime between 3:30 and 4 a.m. and smoked some more before going to work.

According to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, the lab reports a synthetic marijuana compound was found in the leafy substance as well as in Baca’s blood samples. Related story: Man charged with manslaughter charges after killing two Guthrie school teachers

Last October, the two teachers were remembered on the front steps of Guthrie Junior High one year to the day of the horrific accident. Related video and story: Junior High teachers remembered in ceremony