ABC7 reports a white woman was sentenced to prison for driving into two children in an SUV with her SUV. In court on Thursday (Aug. 19), Nicole Poole Franklin learned that her federal hate crime conviction had carried a 304-month sentence. The news came nearly three months after she pleaded guilty to two federal hate crime charges.
Prosecutors allege that the 12-year-old Black boy was walking beside his older brother on a sidewalk when she drove onto a curb and struck him. Apparently, the attack which barely missed the older child was the result of her belief that the boy was “just like ISIS” and “was not supposed to be there.”
A 14-year-old Latina girl was also hit on the same day by Poole Franklin, who he thought was a Mexican taking over “our homes and jobs” and not allowed to be in this country. Following both incidents, Poole Franklin struck up a conversation with a gas station employee and patrons, hurling racial slurs in their direction.
In a request made last week, prosecutors requested that Poole Franklin receive a 27-year prison sentence. In a written filing, they stated, “We seek to hold Poole Franklin accountable for her intentional acts, as well as for the malicious beliefs that have led to them, in order to provide just punishment, afford adequate deterrence, and protect the public from future crimes.”
In agreement with prosecutors and the public defender, the woman asked that her sentence be no more than 27 years in jail. Among Poole Franklin’s mental health problems were “two severe pre-existing mental disorders significantly aggravated by methamphetamine abuse, many difficult life events that occurred at nearly the same time, and some of the worst aspects of culture further poisoning her mental state.”.
As a result of the verdict of U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose, Poole Franklin has been sentenced to 25 years and 4 months in jail. The state has already sentenced her to 25 years in prison for attempted murder, so she will serve both terms simultaneously.
This article was penned by Jonathan P. Wright. Jonathan is a freelance writer for multiple mainstream publications and CVO of RADIOPUSHERS. You can read more of his work by clicking here.
