Woman pleads guilty in sword murder case
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Court documents show Kiara McCulley pleaded guilty to brutally killing a woman with a sword, with alleged coercion from her boyfriend.
SANTA FE, N.M. — The Santa Fe woman accused of brutally killing one of her romantic partners with a sword has pleaded guilty.
According to police, Kiara McCulley nearly decapitated Grace Jennings in the garage of her mother’s home back in 2022. Jennings was just 21 years old.
Investigators said McCulley and her boyfriend, identified as Isaac Apodaca, were romantically linked with Jennings.
McCulley pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against Apodaca. Apodaca is accused of coercing McCulley into killing Jennings.
McCulley faces 30 years in prison – twice the time a second-degree murder charge normally carries. The deputy district attorney said the extra time is for the brutality of the murder.
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