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Thread: Micky Lee Swink Sentenced to Life in 2016 NC Slaying of Patricia Diane Swink

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    Micky Lee Swink Sentenced to Life in 2016 NC Slaying of Patricia Diane Swink




    Mother, son charged in relative's killing

    HICKORY, N.C. - A mother and son charged in the homicide of a Catawba County woman could face very different sentences if ever convicted.

    On Wednesday, prosecutors said they plan on seeking the death penalty against the son but not the mother.

    Allen Lane still can't believe someone killed his neighbor, Diane Swink, inside her home.

    He looked after the 66-year old woman who had to use a wheelchair at times to get around.

    "I believe it was premeditated, it was planned and it was sinister,” Lane said.

    Police arrested Diane Swink's niece, Tina Swink, and her son, Micky Swink, in the days after the homicide.

    Investigators said Diane Swink's SUV was stolen after she died from a "sharp force injury to the neck."

    Police later found the stolen SUV at a Food Lion.

    Surveillance cameras spotted Micky Swink walking into the store, according to court documents.

    Neighbors said Diane Swink allowed her niece to stay at her home in the past but told her to move out after noticing items missing.

    http://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/mot...ling/487924065
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    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Judge hands Hickory man life-in-prison sentence for Halloween murder

    BY JORDAN HENSLEY AND MAX SENG
    The Hickory Record

    NEWTON – A Hickory man will serve life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of his great aunt in Catawba County Superior Court on Wednesday.

    Micky Lee Swink, 34, was charged with the murder of Patricia Diane Swink, 66, in November.

    Swink also faced one felony count of larceny of vehicle and possession of a stolen motor vehicle before Wednesday’s proceedings. The charges were dropped once Swink pleaded guilty Wednesday.

    Superior Court Judge Don Bridges oversaw the hearing, with 25th District Attorney David Learner representing the state, and Assistant Capital Defender Victoria Jayne and Attorney Al Reeder representing Swink.

    The state originally sought the death penalty until Swink agreed to plead guilty.

    Bridges sentenced Swink to life in prison without the possibility of parole after hearing statements from both the prosecution and defense. Those statements included details of the murder and Swink’s mental status.

    Learner read Swink’s statement to the court, which said on the morning of Oct. 31, Swink and his mother, Tina Louise Swink, 49, broke into Patricia’s home using a knife and waited in her basement until Patricia’s guests left and she was alone.

    Once Swink and his mother were sure Patricia was alone, they began picking the lock on the door connecting the basement to the rest of her house.

    It is suspected Patricia heard someone trying to come through the door, which is why she came to the door and opened it.

    Swink wrote when Patricia opened the door, he began stabbing her. Swink said he only remembers stabbing the victim four times. She was stabbed nine times in the face, neck and chest with defensive wounds on her arms, according to the autopsy report.

    In reviewing the crime scene photos, Bridges called them “quite simply horrific.”

    Swink’s statement read that his mother was angry Patricia kicked her out of her home a few months prior, and his mother wanted Swink’s help in robbing Patricia since she was known to have pills, cash, a firearm, and other items of value in her home.

    In addition to those items, Learner said jewelry, two leather jackets and the victim’s vehicle were taken.

    After killing Patricia and choosing which items to take, Swink claims the two waited until dark to leave the home and dispose of the murder weapon.

    Before doing so, they met up with Richard Lee Deal, 39, of Hildebrand, where Deal helped dispose of the murder weapon. Deal and Swink then went to a Food Lion in Long View, where they bought a case of beer and left the vehicle.

    The victim was found dead in her home Nov. 1.

    It was the authority’s discovery of the vehicle that led to Swink’s arrest. Deal is charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact.

    Swink’s mother also was arrested and charged with one felony count of first-degree murder. Both of those cases are still pending.

    After reading Swink’s statement, Learner told Bridges that Swink’s cellmates described him as “cold-hearted” and without remorse.

    Swink’s attorney, Victoria Jayne, refuted those claims.

    Jayne stated on Swink’s behalf he has “readily accepted responsibility for his actions,” and said Swink admitted to “what amounts to first-degree murder in his own statement.”

    Jayne also said Swink’s mother solicited another man’s involvement in the murder of the victim before ultimately turning to her son to help engage in the act.

    Jayne said Swink “accepts responsibility, is competent and has driven this decision today and prefers to get this matter over with, rather than languish in the county jail for another couple of years.”

    “(Swink) was very realistic about the prospects, with this being a death penalty case,” Jayne said after Wednesday’s proceedings. “He didn’t want to go through a long trial, and have his life decided by 12 people.”

    Bridges asked both the prosecution and defense if any issue had been raised in past court proceedings about Swink’s mental health, after a report from forensic psychologist Dr. George Corvin was submitted July 19 regarding Swink.

    Corvin was appointed by the defense to evaluate Swink’s mental health.

    Bridges read aloud some of Corvin’s report, including that Swink “has exuded wild mood swings” that are consistent with bipolar affective disorder, and that Swink was suffering from “considerable mental health issues.”

    With these considerations, Bridges included Corvin’s report in evidence after it was submitted Wednesday.

    Bridges also asked Swink if his condition had bettered or worsened in prison, which Swink responded to with, “I feel fine.”

    Jayne commented on Corvin’s report that was presented in court Wednesday.

    “We knew that he had a lot of mental health issues, and we were concerned about where it would affect his competence,” Jayne said outside the courtroom. “We want that letter to go into his file because we want him to get treatment, and we felt that was an important component.”

    When asked by Bridges if he understands what will happen to him after today, Swink replied, “I’m going to prison, and I’m never coming home, ever.”

    Several of the victim’s family members were in attendance Wednesday in court. Swink addressed the courtroom in a statement.

    “I’m deeply sorry for the actions that I committed,” Swink said. “It’s forever impacted everyone around me, and I do apologize.”

    Jordan Hensley is the court reporter at the Hickory Daily Record. ​

    “I’m going to prison, and I’m never coming home, ever.”

    http://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/ju...4ab8227c5.html

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