SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - A 17-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in a stabbing death a year ago that authorities said stemmed from a Facebook feud.
The (Scranton) Times-Tribune (https://bit.ly/2uCRkDz ) reports that Cathleen Boyer entered the plea Monday in Lackawanna County Court.
Boyer was 16 at the time of the May 2016 stabbing death of 18-year-old Kayla VanWert. Authorities said they fought in May after meeting in an alley to settle the online feud over the father of VanWert’s 1-year-old daughter. Defense attorneys had contended that Boyer acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a seven- to 20-year sentence, but Judge Andy Jarbola noted for the defendant that he wasn’t bound by that recommendation. Defense attorney Christopher Osborne said “Hopefully the judge will have compassion and we’ll go from there.”
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Information from: The Times-Tribune, https://thetimes-tribune.com/
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