Woman charged in 2021 killing of Penns Valley man pleads no contest to voluntary manslaughter
A woman charged in the April 2021 killing of a Spring Mills man pleaded no contest Friday to voluntary manslaughter, an agreement that would send her to state prison for several years.
The plea meant Brittany Guisewhite, 28, accepted the conviction, but did not expressly admit she committed the crime. Four charges were dropped, including third-degree murder and aggravated assault.
Guisewhite is set to be sentenced to at least three years in state prison. Her maximum sentence would be eight years. She’s been detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility since October.
She answered routine questions asked of her by Centre County Judge Katherine Oliver, but otherwise said little during the hearing.
“This is the best decision for her,” county Assistant Public Defender Shannon Malone told Oliver.
Guisewhite was accused of fatally stabbing Robert Farwell, 26, in the pre-dawn hours after an argument inside her Haines Township home. The two had a “tumultuous” relationship that soured in the months prior, state police at Rockview wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
Guisewhite told investigators Farwell showed up at her house unannounced. She locked herself in a bedroom during an argument, brandished a knife and warned Farwell not to move toward her, police wrote.
He did, and Guisewhite stabbed him in the chest, police wrote. She tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine.
Malone has said Guisewhite acted in self-defense. Guisewhite told investigators that Farwell threatened to “kill her” and tried to enter the bedroom by kicking in the door.
Her lawyer planned to mount a battered woman syndrome defense at trial. The psychological condition falls under post-traumatic stress disorder.
Farwell’s father, William, was OK with the plea, Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said during the hearing. Several family members are expected to offer statements during Guisewhite’s sentencing, which is scheduled for Sept. 19.
