No contest plea in attack with a car
A North Philadelphia woman pleaded no contest Friday to attempted-murder charges for slamming her Dodge Durango into a woman she believed was a romantic rival.
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A North Philadelphia woman pleaded no contest Friday to attempted-murder charges for slamming her Dodge Durango into a woman she believed was a romantic rival.
Precious Coleman, 30, also pleaded no contest to a weapons count - the weapon being the Dodge she used when she tried to run down Beatrice "Dee Dee" Spence around 2:30 p.m. April 17. And she pleaded no contest to a reckless-endangerment count involving Spence's uncle Damon Watson, who was also struck by the sport utility vehicle.
Common Pleas Court Judge Diana L. Anhalt ordered a mental-health evaluation and set sentencing on April 5 for Coleman, who remains in custody on bail totaling $750,000.
Defense attorney Stephanie Fennell said Coleman's plea did not include agreement on a possible sentence. As part of the plea, Assistant District Attorney Jacob Sand withdrew several assault counts.
Coleman, of Van Pelt Street near Somerset Street in the Swampoodle section of North Philadelphia, was arrested after witnesses told police she was driving on 17th Street near Wingohocking Street in Nicetown when she plowed into Spence, 24, and her uncle as they stood on the sidewalk.
Spence had her right leg amputated below the knee because of her injuries. Watson, 37, was also injured when he was pinned against the porch of Spence's home.
At a preliminary hearing last July, Spence testified that the violent confrontation followed more than a week of feuding with Coleman, who wrongly suspected Spence was dating her boyfriend.
The two women exchanged angry phone calls and, according to Spence, Coleman escalated the feud and threw a brick through a window of her home. Spence said she retaliated by breaking one of the Durango's windows.
Spence testified that she was outside her home waiting for Coleman, expecting a fistfight, when the Durango came racing down the block.
The chaos continued after the hit-and-run.
When Spence's mother heard the screaming, she ran from the house forgetting that she had food cooking on the stove. That led to a fire that destroyed Spence's house and the one next door.
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