Honk News (Nashville, TN) – In a somber courtroom filled with schoolteachers and family members, Patricia Ann Ricks, a grandmother from North Carolina, received a life sentence on Friday for the tragic beating death of her 8-year-old granddaughter in 2023.
Authorities report that the young girl sustained “severe injuries throughout her entire body and head,” rendering any chance of saving her life at the hospital impossible.
“It was emotional for all parties involved,” Nash County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Kevin Bissette told the Rocky Mount Telegram about the sentencing, which was attended by the family of victim Christal Lane, who was killed in February 2023 by Ricks. The 74-year-old showed up in a wheelchair and was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole as part of an Alford plea for first-degree murder.
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In an Alford plea, individuals facing criminal charges can assert their innocence while acknowledging that the evidence presented by the prosecution is compelling enough to likely persuade a judge or jury of their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Before Ricks accepted the plea deal, it was reported that prosecutors were pursuing the death penalty.
Ricks faced allegations of assaulting Lane at a home on Dutchman Rd. in Nashville, North Carolina, where the girl resided with her siblings under her guardianship.
“On Tuesday 02-07-2023 shortly after 4 pm, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a juvenile that was brought into the Emergency Room at Nash UNC Healthcare with severe injuries and was deceased upon arrival,” police officials reported in a press release. “Deputies and Detectives responded to the hospital to further investigate.”
Authorities reported that they arrived at the location after discovering the girl’s residence and concluded that Lane had been fatally assaulted.
“The child had severe injuries throughout her entire body and head,” the sheriff’s office said. “The child lived with the grandmother, and several other siblings on Dutchman Road, as the grandmother was the legal guardian of the children.”
Rick’s son participated in her sentencing through an online video and provided supportive testimony on her behalf. The police did not disclose any motive for the fatal beating of Lane.
Following Lane’s death, the remaining children in Ricks’ care were transferred to the custody of the Nash County Department of Social Services.