A woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing another woman during a fight in south Minneapolis in August.
Yolanda L. Smith, 27, whose address is listed as unknown, admitted that she repeatedly stabbed Catherine Banks, 39, of Minneapolis about 3 a.m. on Aug. 21 near Lake Street and 5th Avenue S.
Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as her trial was about to start.
She will be sentenced May 12 and is expected to receive more than 18 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, the women were arguing when Banks pushed Smith in the forehead and the two began shoving and wrestling. One witness told police of seeing the suspect reach behind her back, pull out a large hunting knife that unfolded, then stab the victim in the chest.
The women had been riding together in Minneapolis earlier in the day in a car owned by a witness to the slaying. After days of looking for Smith, officers spotted her in the area of Lake Street and West River Parkway, but she ran into a heavily wooded area. They found her hiding under bushes and arrested her.
DAVID CHANEN
