Inset left: John Tiffin (Tulsa Police Department). Inset right: Karen Curthoys (Obituary). Background: The area near where Tiffin allegedly fatally struck Curthoys with her own car in Tulsa, Okla. (Google Maps).
An Oklahoma man is behind bars after allegedly killing his mother by hitting her with her own car, which he had refused to return after borrowing it, according to Sooner State law enforcement.
John Tiffin, 31, stands accused of second-degree murder for the death of 69-year-old Karen Curthoys. The defendant is also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — specifically, an automobile — as well as reckless driving and obstructing an officer.
The underlying incident occurred in September, when Tiffin borrowed his mother's car, according to a press release issued by the Tulsa Police Department.
Once the car was in his possession, however, the son would not give it back, despite "the expectation that he'd give it back," police said.
Eventually, Curthoys and one of her other children were able to track down the vehicle using an AirTag hidden in the collar of the victim's dog, according to law enforcement.
That dog had also been with Tiffin, according to court documents obtained by Tulsa-based ABC and Fox affiliate KTUL.
The sibling and the victim traveled to a residence near East 38th Street and South Mingo Road, where they found the car parked in a driveway, according to law enforcement.
The mother and her other son then got out to try to get the car back from the defendant, police said.
"The victim stood in the driveway between the car she arrived in and the car Tiffin hadn't returned," the press release reads. "Tiffin and his boyfriend were in the car, and the brother opened the car door to confront them. An altercation occurred, and Tiffin shifted the car into reverse and hit the gas pedal, hitting his brother with the open door and pinning his mother between the two cars."
The victim was taken to a hospital after being hit by the car, police said. She died from her injuries on Oct. 12.
The victim was remembered fondly in her obituary:
Karen was often found at the football field, basketball court, or baseball diamond cheering on one of her sons or her alma maters. Her love of performance also extended to the arts, and she was a supporter of both the Tulsa music scene and the Tulsa Opera, where she volunteered. An avid traveler, she loved her time in Belize especially, having spent many hours SCUBA diving in the country's vast barrier reef.
The arrest was not without incident.
After a nearly monthlong investigation, an arrest warrant was issued on Nov. 10, police said. Authorities went to the address where the victim had been hit with the car, according to law enforcement.
"Officers began searching the house, warning Tiffin the K-9 would bite him if he didn't come out," the press release reads. "After getting no answer, the K-9 located Tiffin in a bedroom. Tiffin was holding two knives and trying to cut at his own neck when Officers found him. After several commands, he dropped the knives, and Officers took him to the hospital to be cleared for jail."
Tiffin is currently being detained in the Tulsa County Jail on $550,500 bond, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
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