Nicole Franklin, 43, who ran over Black and Latino teens, admitted that her attack was racially motivated, pleaded guilty to two state charges of attempted murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
This Iowa woman was driving her SUV in Des Moines, Iowa in December of 2019 when she saw two kids on the sidewalk. In her mind the kids were Middle eastern of African decent so she drover her car towards them and hit one of the teens. Later on, she saw another child near Indian Hills Junior High School in Clive, IA who she thought was Mexican. She drove her car towards the sidewalk and struck the child. She ran away from the scene but later was caught after she went on a racist tirade against a gas station employee in West Des Moines.
According to Franklin’s lawyer. Matthew Sheeley, the woman was not taking medication for her schizophrenia because she was pregnant. Sheeley said that she was hallucinating and according to a report by the Register, Franklin also fell under the influence of conservative media outlets that often portray immigrants as invaders. Her attorney suggested that she was mentally ill and she believed that immigrants are invading the country and taking homes and jobs away from people. She was not found to be clinically insane.
Her sentencing date for the two federal hate crime convictions is set for August 19 of this year. She could face life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each of these charged offenses.
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