ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A man accused of beating an Albuquerque teenager with a shovel in 2008 has pleaded no contest to charges of attempted murder and aggravated burglary.
The Albuquerque Journal reports 34-year-old Justin Hansen entered his plea Thursday as his trial date neared.
Prosecutors say Hansen faces up to 18 years in prison when he’s sentenced July 25.
Brittani Marcell was a 17-year-old senior at Cibola High when she was attacked.
She has since undergone numerous surgeries, had to relearn to eat, walk and speak and remains blind in one eye and deaf in one ear.
In October 2016, Marcell remembered a man she used to chat with at a store where she worked and reported that information to police.
Hansen was arrested and later linked to the case by DNA evidence.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
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