SYRACUSE -- A Syracuse man has pleaded guilty to killing his grandmother.
In Onondaga County Court, 20-year-old Paris Hart IV learned that he will serve 15 years to life in prison for the death of 67-year-old Nanette Hart. Paris Hart pleaded guilty to second degree murder Wednesday morning.
Police say Paris Hart wanted money from his grandmother to pay for drugs and gambling debts, and he attacked her when she refused. Nanette Hart’s body was found behind the garage of her home on Westmoreland Avenue last December.
“He then strikes the grandmother. An altercation occurs. She goes down and after striking her, he gets on top of her, maintains his extensive weight on her, making it difficult to breathe until he states she stops breathing,” said former Police Chief Gary Miguel during the investigation last year.
Police say Hart had been living with his grandmother since last summer and their relationship appeared to be a good one.
“A young man killed his grandmother, a loving woman who did nothing by all accounts, including his own, did nothing but take care of him," said Assistant District Attorney Rick Trunfio after the court session Wednesday.
Formal sentencing is scheduled for July 13.
