A teenage girl who stands accused of murdering two people in an attempt to take her own life will plead guilty to reduced charges of attempted murder in both the juvenile and adult court systems. The original case had charged Marilee Patricia Gardner, now 17, with two counts of murder, but with her guilty plea the case will be dismissed and refiled with the juvenile court system. Gardner is accused of intentionally crashing her mother's SUV into another car during a suicide attempt last year. The crash resulted in the death of two people who were inside the car at the time it was struck.
The deal requires Gardner to plead guilty to one charge as a juvenile, while the other charge will be returned to the adult court system. However, sentencing on the adult charge will not occur until she completes her time in juvenile custody, which may not be until age 21. When the adult sentence is given, she faces a minimum of three years in prison, with the potential of up to life behind bars. Police and family of the victim's agreed to the deal in an attempt to bring the case to a close.
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