Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Patricia Wick, center, returns from the judge's chambers just before the start of her change-of-plea hearing Friday, January 12, at the Foster County Courthouse. State's Attorney Kara Brinster is in front of Wick, and her court-appointed attorney, Samuel Gereszek, is behind her.
Patricia Wick walks into the courtroom for the start of the hearing. She would plead guilty to Class AA felony murder in the death of a 5-month-old boy in her care, as well as Class B felony child abuse and a Class B misdemeanor for operating an unlicensed day care.
POSTED January 12, 4:30 pm
On Friday, Jan. 12, Patricia Wick was at the Foster County Courthouse in Carrington for a sudden change of plea hearing, just weeks before her murder trial was due to begin.
Wick, a former Carrington daycare owner accused of killing a 5-month-old boy in her care, amended her plea to guilty on all charges.
Originally, she had pleaded not guilty to a Class AA felony murder charge, after the infant was found unresponsive in her home and later declared dead at a hospital in Fargo in September of 2022.
During an interview at the Carrington Police Station, Wick had admitted to not being gentle with the infant, who's identified as R.N. in court documents.
She reportedly told investigators she "may have put R.N. down too hard," and that she was "frustrated" with him that day.
An autopsy later determined the infant died from blunt force head and neck trauma, and labeled the official manner of death as homicide.
Wick had also pleaded not guilty to Class B felony child abuse for a 6-year-old who suffered a broken arm while in her care, and to a Class B misdemeanor charge for operating a child care facility without a license.
The maximum penalty Wick could face for these charges is life in prison, and for months it appeared she was prepared to let a jury decide her fate.
Instead, while donning her orange prison uniform from the Stutsman County Correctional Center, Wick told District Court Judge James Hovey that she's changing her plea to guilty on all three charges.
Foster County State's Attorney Kara Brinster then provided the "factual basis" for each charge, going into extensive detail about the tragic death of the 5-month-old boy.
"The investigation revealed that Patricia Wick caused the hyperextension and hyperflexion of R.N.'s head and neck, while she was holding R.N.," said Brinster, after explaining how the infant had suffered from several hemorrhages in the brain and neck area.
"All of the experts in this case agree that the injuries R.N. sustained would have resulted [in R.N.] being immediately symptomatic, which places R.N. at Patricia Wick's daycare, with Patricia Wick the sole paid daycare provider at the time," she added.
When asked by the judge if the facts as stated by Brinster were true, Wick simply said "yes" after a brief discussion with her lawyer.
Wick's amended pleas, which were not part of a plea agreement, were then accepted by the judge, who ordered a presentence investigation.
A presentence investigation is meant to look into the background of a convicted person to determine if there are extenuating circumstances that could impact the leniency or severity of a sentence.
Judge Hovey said the process would take no less than 60 days, after which sentencing will take place.
