NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: Three teenagers have been found guilty in the carjacking death of a 73-year-old grandmother who was thrown from her vehicle but caught in her seatbelt and dragged by the car before her arm was severed as the teens sped away. Briniyah Baker, 17, Lenyra Theophile, 16, and Mar’Qel Curtis, 16, entered their pleas to a charge of attempted manslaughter in the death of Linda Frickey.
The trio were charged as adults in Orleans Parish, Louisiana and sentenced to 20 years in prison, NOLA.com reports. The fourth defendant, John Honore, 18, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and is set for trial on Monday, November 20.
Mar’Qel Curtis said her involvement in the crime was 'the worst decision of my life'
“You are children who decided to play adults … and you affected this whole city,” Judge Kimya Holmes said in handing down the sentences to the juveniles.
“For them to plead guilty and say they want to do the 20 years is a relief to us,” Frickey’s sister said. Curtis said her involvement in the carjacking was “the worst decision of my life,” as she wished she “could go back and change the outcome,” and Frickey “seemed like such a nice lady.”
When did the incident occur?
The killing happened on March 21 last year. Police responded officers responded to a carjacking call at about 1.35 pm. Upon arrival, police found Frickey’s body lying on the ground unresponsive, her arm severed, prosecutors said in a news release. They also noted Honore punched and kicked Frickey, forcing her from her Nissan SUV, in the armed carjacking.
Frickey's arm got severed from her body while being dragged as she got tangled in her seatbelt. Prosecutors said Honore led the attack while Theophile and Baker were in the SUV as Honore drove away and Curtis fled within seconds, the outlet reported.
The vehicle was found later that day. Surveillance video showed four people believed to be the perpetrators. After the authorities circulated photos of the victim online, the mother of one of the female suspects turned her daughter in.
Officers found and arrested the male suspect and a second female suspect later in the evening after receiving information from the male suspect’s parents. The remaining female suspect surrendered later.
Linda Frickey was an agent of an insurance company
Frickey was a dedicated agent for Security Plan Life Insurance for 28 years, her obituary said.
“Linda could go nowhere without either bumping into someone she knew, or making a new friend,” the obit read, adding “She was also a licensed cosmetologist, though mostly she only practiced on family and friends. She enjoyed shopping, especially with her Princess Prudence. She also loved spending time with her family, especially the weekly meeting of her sisters which was affectionately known as ‘The Hen Party.'”
