Norristown Woman Pleads Guilty In Stabbing Case
by Jim Melwert
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Norristown woman who was charged with 3rd degree murder for stabbing her step-father in the leg last spring, has pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter.
24 year-old Shakira Hayward admitted to stabbing her step-father, Kenneth Bullock, in the back of his lower leg during an argument last March. Bullock drove himself the hospital, but later died from the wound.
Hayward was originally charged with Third Degree Murder, which can carry a 20-40 year sentence, but prosecutor Lindsay O'Brien says upon review of the case, "my assessment of the case was that it didn't rise to the level of third degree murder."
The plea to Involuntary manslaughter has a range of 3-to-12 months.
"This isn't somebody that acted maliciously, this isn't a situation where murder was appropriate, and the district attorney's office saw that in making their offer that murder wasn't appropriate under these circumstances," said Matt Quigg, Hayward's defense attorney.
Quigg says his client looks forward to taking responsibility and moving on with her life.
"She graduated from Norristown Area School with honors, put herself through college at LaSalle University, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, Cum Laude," said Quigg.
Quigg says Hayward was two months pregnant the day of the stabbing and now has a four-month-old child.
Hayward spent about three months in county prison before she was able to post bail and Quigg says they'll ask for time-served at her sentencing.
