Three of the four Louisiana teenagers charged with carjacking and slaying an elderly woman got a plea deal after originally facing life in prison.
Briniyah Baker, 17, Lenyra Theophile, 16, and Mar’Qel Curtis pleaded guilty to attempted murder and were sentenced to 20 years in prison.
All four defendants had been charged as adults with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 73-year-old Linda Frickey, who was dragged nearly a block after her arm became caught in a seatbelt.
The teenagers stopped the vehicle briefly to open the door and kick the grandmother out into the street – after her arm was severed and her clothes were torn off.
The three teenagers will each serve at least 15 years. Two of them expressed regret in court, while a girl’s lawyer offered prayers.
Briniyah Baker, 17, Lenyra Theophile, 16, and Mar’Qel Curtis (pictured) pleaded guilty to attempted murder on Monday
John Honore, 18, is still charged as an adult with second-degree murder. He faces a life sentence
The teenagers were involved in the carjacking and dragging death of 73-year-old Linda Frickey in 2022
“When they said they were sorry, I’m sure they were. Unfortunately, they did it and they have to serve the sentence,” Frickey’s sister, Jinnylynn Griffin, said in court.
The final defendant, 18-year-old John Honore, still faces second-degree murder charges and life in prison.
“We want him to get the most out of it.” He drove the car. “He stomped on her,” Griffin said.
“The girls were all there to go, but the problem we had with them was that they didn’t do anything to stop it.”
The guilty plea comes more than a year after Frickey’s death.
In March 2022, the 73-year-old grandmother was dragged down North Scott Street in New Orleans after a group of teenagers stole her car.
“The lady was trying to put something in her vehicle, the man jumped in and threw her out and she got caught in the wheel well,” a witness told WWL-TV.
A neighbor, Leanne Mascar, grabbed a sheet to cover Frickey after she was left on the street.
“When I looked down, her body was already there, and her arm was already there – you just don’t expect something like that,” Mascar told Fox 8.
“She was lying there naked and I thought the humiliation she had just suffered was too much.”
Surveillance video showed the teens getting into Frickey’s gray SUV before her arm got caught in the seatbelt and she was dragged down the block
The grandmother screamed at her attackers to let her go before her arm was severed and her clothes were torn off
The gray SUV (pictured) was recovered 13 blocks from where she was left on the street
Frickey’s official cause of death was given as “blunt force injuries.”
Mascar’s husband, Mark, sat next to Frickey as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
The official cause of death was given as “blunt force injury.”
Frickey’s gray SUV was recovered 13 blocks from where she was left on the street.
Police released surveillance footage of the suspects and two of the teens were reported by their parents.
In March 2023, Theophile was found unfit to stand trial and committed to a psychiatric facility for 60 days.
“We appreciate their admission of guilt and acceptance of their punishment, and hope that over time everyone can heal,” Frickey’s sister-in-law Kathy Richard said Monday.
Of Honore, she said, “We will show him the same mercy he showed Linda: none.”
Richard hopes the girls will “engage in programs” while incarcerated to “set an example that one’s actions have consequences.”
Honore’s trial is scheduled to begin on November 27th. A jury met on Monday afternoon.