An Alabama woman has pleaded guilty to felony murder in connection with the 2021 killing of a 76-year-old neighbor, admitting her role in a violent argument that ended with the man being struck in the head with a space heater.
Monyuett Catrice Hinson, 29, entered the guilty plea on Friday, Feb. 27, just days before her trial was scheduled to begin, according to reports from AL.com and Fox affiliate WBRC.
The plea relates to the death of Alverner Blanks, who died after being attacked outside his home in Bessemer in September 2021.
Prosecutors originally charged Hinson with capital murder, a more serious charge that could have carried harsher penalties if she had been convicted at trial.
Instead, under the plea agreement, Hinson admitted guilt to the lesser charge of felony murder before Circuit Judge David Carpenter in Alabama’s 10th Judicial Circuit Court.
The deal was reportedly accepted by Blanks’ family.
According to authorities, the deadly encounter occurred on Sept. 8, 2021, when Hinson and Blanks — who were neighbors and acquaintances — became involved in an argument outside their homes.
Investigators said the dispute appeared to be related to money.
During the confrontation, Hinson struck the elderly man in the head with a space heater.
The blow caused a serious head injury.
After the attack, police say Hinson fled the scene, leaving Blanks injured.
Blanks was later taken for medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries weeks later.
Following his death, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, prompting authorities to upgrade the case and file a capital murder charge against Hinson in November 2021.
As the case moved through the court system, Hinson had been preparing to face trial. However, with the trial date approaching, she chose to accept a plea agreement instead.
By pleading guilty to felony murder, Hinson avoided the risk of being convicted on the capital murder charge.
Under the terms of the plea deal, she now faces a maximum possible sentence of 24 years in prison.
Example of a space heater
Sentencing will ultimately determine how much time she will serve.
Court records indicate Hinson was represented by attorneys Yusuf Olufemi and Leslie Moore during the proceedings.
The killing shocked residents in the Bessemer neighborhood where both Hinson and Blanks lived.
Blanks, at 76 years old, was decades older than Hinson and had known her as a neighbor before the fatal dispute.
Cases involving deadly arguments between neighbors often highlight how quickly personal conflicts can escalate into violence.
What began as a disagreement between two people who lived near each other ultimately ended in a fatal confrontation that took the life of an elderly man.
With the plea deal now entered, the legal proceedings will move to sentencing, bringing the long-running case closer to its conclusion.
