AN IOWA woman who allegedly admitted to intentionally driving into a black child and a Latina girl who she targeted because "she is Mexican" has pleaded guilty to the hate crimes.
Nicole Poole Franklin, 43, entered the pleas in a Des Moines federal court on Wednesday regarding the two separate hit-and-runs on December 9, 2019.
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Franklin first intentionally mounted a curb in her SUV to target a 12-year-old black boy as he walked along a sidewalk at around 3:45pm, injuring one of his legs, prosecutors say.
She claimed she believed the youngster was of Middle Eastern descent and was a member of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Around 20 minutes later, Franklin continued her disturbing spree - mowing down a 14-year-old Latina girl on a sidewalk, leaving her hospitalized with her injuries for two days.
Franklin told cops she singled out the teen because "she is Mexican".
Over an hour after the horrific attacks, the 43-year-old was arrested at a local gas station, where she had yelled racial slurs and threw items at the clerk and other customers, according to police.
She has said she suffers from schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Last year, a judge ruled she was mentally incompetent to stand trial, but this decision was reversed, seeing her face federal and state prosecution.
Franklin faces up to life in prison if convicted of violating the US Hate Crime Act.
She also pleaded guilty to two state charges of attempted murder earlier this week, which could each bump her sentence up by 25 years.
Prosecutors have recommended that Franklin should be sentenced to 27 years in prison and that her federal sentence should be served at the same time as her state sentence.
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Communications director for the Council on Islamic Relations in Washington D.C, Ibrahim Hooper, said the group "welcomed" Franklin's admission of guilt.
"We welcome this guilty plea as the culmination of a law enforcement effort to hold the perpetrator accountable," he said in a statement.
"It is our hope that the court will impose a sentence that reflects the severity of the crime, as well as the victims' wishes."
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