A Fort Dodge woman won’t have to go through a days-long jury trial and relive the most horrific night of her life now that the second defendant accused of trying to end her life has pleaded guilty in court of Webster County District.
Marcus Western, 23, of Minneapolis, is charged with attempted murder and first-degree robbery, both Class B felonies, in the brutal Nov. 2, 2021, attack on Ciane Smith at Smith’s home next door south of Fort Dodge.
During the attack by Westerner and accomplice Sharon Morara, Smith was strangled and stabbed several times and was eventually pronounced dead.
Smith, who was 21 at the time, had previously been in a relationship with Western and was pregnant with his child at the time of the attack. Smith was seriously injured in the stabbing and was taken to a Des Moines hospital with significant injuries.
Smith’s oldest son, who was less than 2 years old at the time, witnessed the attack but was unharmed. Smith was paralyzed from the waist down, but she and her unborn son survived the attack and all three are thriving.
About two weeks after the attack, Western and Morara were arrested in Minnesota.
On Monday afternoon, Western pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and robbery. During the hearing, Western admitted to breaking into Smith’s home and strangling her, but said Morara was the one who carried out the multiple stabbings.
“I could have stopped it, but I didn’t,” said Western.
Western stopped short of admitting that his intention that night was to kill Smith, but acknowledged that he previously said he did know Morara intended to kill Smith.
Morara pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and first-degree robbery for his role in the attack. In May, Morara was sentenced to 25 years in prison with a minimum of 70 percent of her time served before being considered for parole.
A sentencing hearing for Western is scheduled for Sept. 11 at the Webster County Courthouse. Under the plea agreement with the Webster County District Attorney’s Office, the parties will recommend two 25-year indeterminate sentences for each of Western’s charges, both of which run concurrently, and the attempted-murder charge it will also carry a minimum of 70 percent. The remaining charges of conspiracy to commit a felony by force, assault while engaged in a felony and domestic abuse assault impeding air/blood flow will also be dismissed.
The plea and sentencing agreement is subject to the judge’s approval after a pre-sentence investigative report is completed. If the judge refuses to accept the sentences to run concurrently, Western will be able to withdraw his guilty plea.
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