Ithaca, N.Y. — The mother of an Ithaca teenager accused of stabbing four women in October 2013 has pleaded guilty to charges of first degree burglary and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the incident.
Desiree Richmond, 40, and Dante Sweat, 18, allegedly assaulted four women near their home on the 600 block of Chestnut St. on October 24, 2013.
Court documents said that Sweat stabbed four women — one of whom was reportedly held down by Richmond — after a “sea of fighting” broke out in the early evening.
Richmond’s guilty plea comes after she and Sweat were offered a plea deal that required Sweat to plead guilty to all charges in his indictment — including four counts of attempted murder — and for Richmond to plead guilty to a burglary charge and endangering the welfare of a child.
Richmond, up until the plea deal, maintained her innocence. Court documents said that she originally believed the deal was unlawful.
Richmond provided a video and a witness statement as evidence of innocence to the courts — pieces of evidence that the court found were of no value to the investigation. Sweat’s has said that Sweat believed he was protecting his mother from what he perceived as neighborhood bullies.
The sentencing date has not yet been announced by the Court.
Sweat is currently out of jail after being released on a $5,000 bail, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.
He will remain out of jail until his sentencing.
