Guilty Plea in Hate Crime Trial

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon woman who is one of two defendants in an ongoing hate crime trial has entered a guilty plea.

The Oregonian reports that 37-year-old Colleen Catherine Hunt has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

Hunt is scheduled to be sentenced March 19 on the charge that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years.

Hunt and 40-year-old Russell Orlando Courtier are accused of the 2016 killing of 19-year-old Larnell Bruce Jr. in a Portland suburb.

Authorities say Hunt was a passenger in a Jeep driven by Courtier and encouraged him as he drove into Bruce following a fight with Courtier in front of a convenience store.

A grand jury indicted both of them on charges of murder, hit-and-run driving and intimidation.

Intimidation is a hate crime under Oregon law.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com