RENO, Nev. (AP) - A 41-year-old Reno woman convicted in a fatal stabbing at a downtown motel has been sentenced to up to life in prison.
Victoria Teresa-Marie Sweeting pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon in the January 2016 killing of Michael Banquicio.
Washoe District Judge Patrick Flanagan said at last week’s sentencing she will have to serve at least 18 years in prison before she is eligible for parole.
Prosecutors say Banquicio slapped Sweeting in the face at least twice during an argument at the motel. They say tried unsuccessfully to persuade some neighbors to help beat him up, but returned later and ended up stabbing him twice.
Sweeting claimed self-defense, but Chief Deputy DA Luke Prengaman said she was a substance abuser who was acting out of anger.
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