A teenager who fatally shot his mother's friend pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree unintentional murder.
Dequan Smith, who was 17 at the time, was tried as an adult in Hennepin County District Court. Now 18, he also pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree robbery, according to a Hennepin County Attorney's Office news release.
Smith will serve nearly 19 years in prison.
Smith fatally shot Jennifer Swaggert, 39, of Minneapolis on July 12 in a Bloomington hotel room in a dispute over $270 for a storage unit. Smith's mother was convicted of aiding her son after the murder and sentenced to six years in prison.
In court, he apologized to Swaggert's family and said she helped his family in the past.
Alex Chhith • 612-673-4759
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