George R. Carothers, 47, now faces a second-degree murder charge in the crash that killed Elk City resident Pamela Cain Friday night.
Police originally sought a manslaughter charge, which carries a penalty of at least four years in prison.
The murder charge means if convicted, Carothers could serve at least 10 years, if not life, in prison.
According to Elk City police, Carothers was driving drunk when he hit Cain's vehicle. Two other women were in the car and were injured. Carothers was alone in his truck.
The State of Oklahoma defines second-degree murder as "an act imminently dangerous to another person and evincing a depraved mind, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual."