Share this @internewscast.com

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines woman has pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes for intentionally driving her SUV into two children in 2019 because she said she thought one was Mexican and the other was a member of the Islamic State group.

Nicole Poole Franklin, 43, entered the pleas Wednesday in a Des Moines federal court to two counts of violating the U.S. Hate Crime Act for trying to kill the children in separate attacks because of their races. She pleaded guilty Monday to two state counts of attempted murder in the same Dec. 9, 2019, attacks, the Des Moines Register reported.

Prosecutors said Franklin intentionally jumped a curb in Des Moines that afternoon and struck a Black 12-year-old boy, injuring one of his legs. During her hearing Wednesday, Poole said she thought the boy was of Middle Eastern descent and was a member of IS.

Minutes later, Franklin ran down a 14-year-old Latina girl on a sidewalk, leaving her with injuries for which she was hospitalized for two days. Police said Franklin told them she hit the girl because “she is Mexican.” About an hour later, Franklin was arrested at a local gas station, where officers say she had thrown items at a clerk while yelling racial slurs at him and other customers.

Franklin has said she is schizophrenic and has post-traumatic stress disorder. Last year, a judge ruled that she wasn’t mentally competent to stand trial, but she was later restored to mental competency and ordered to face trial.

The federal counts carry a possible life prison sentence, but prosecutors recommended that Franklin be sentenced to 27 years behind bars and that her federal sentence be served at the same time as her state sentence. On the state counts, Franklin faces up to 25 years on each attempted murder count. It wasn’t clear if other state counts, including hate crimes, would be dropped as part as her guilty plea in state court, the Register reported.

Source: huffpost

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Breaking: Trump Threat Suspect to Remain Behind Bars – Judge’s Ruling Explained

Main: President Donald Trump smiles as he speaks in the Oval Office…

Gainesville Incident: Man Arrested for Deliberately Striking Cyclist with Vehicle

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A troubling incident unfolded yesterday as 22-year-old Andrew Bartholomew…

Shocking Scandal: Local Realtor Caught in High-Stakes Sports Card Theft Ring

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alex Nicholas Harding, a 39-year-old realtor, found…

Tragic Loss: ‘Last Chance U’ Coach John Beam Fatally Shot in College Campus Incident

A cherished figure in college football, John Beam, who gained fame through…

Dima Tower Murder Trial: Son Convicted in the Killing of Adoptive Parents

A Florida jury reached a verdict on Friday, convicting a Ukrainian man…

Nevada Supreme Court Greenlights Continuation of ‘Fake Electors’ Case, Paving Path for Legal Proceedings

Left: Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (Nevada Attorney General”s Office). Right: Chairman…

Video Captures Heated Turkey Dispute Escalating to Gunfire Outside Food Lion

On Thursday, a heated argument over a turkey escalated into a shooting…

Examining the Profits of Crime: Kohberger, ‘Murderabilia,’ and a Controversial Case

We find ourselves in an era where crime transcends the confines of…

ICE Confirms Destruction of Crucial Video Linked to Detention Lawsuit

Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with Kristi Noem at a campaign rally…

Unraveling the Trump RICO Case: Challenges Facing Fani Willis’ Ambitious Legal Pursuit

Left: FILE – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis poses for a…

Adoptive Son Faces Courtroom Showdown: Prosecutors Reveal Motive in Dima Tower Double Murder Trial

A Florida man has invoked a “temporary insanity” defense in connection with…

Ongoing Search for Missing 13-Year-Old Girl from Foster Care: One Month Later

Authorities in Kentucky are intensifying their efforts to locate a 13-year-old girl…