A Vancouver man facing an attempted murder charge for breaking into an east Vancouver home and attacking and robbing the woman who lived there, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a lesser crime.
Vincent R. Burnett, 30, entered guilty pleas in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and unlawful imprisonment stemming from the April 29 attack. He was facing attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary and methamphetamine possession. As part of a plea deal, those charges were amended.
Burnett and a suspected accomplice, 16-year-old Roy James Thompson Jr., broke into the home in the 3400 block of Northeast 138th Avenue, according to the Vancouver Police Department. The victim, a 65-year-old woman, reported the crime at about 3 a.m. and was subsequently taken to a hospital and treated for head injuries.
Two males dressed in all-dark clothing broke into the woman’s residence and ransacked her home while looking for items, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police contacted the victim at the hospital, and she said that the burglars bound her hands with her scarves and a suitcase strap. They told her not to move, she said, and threatened to kill her. The woman said she began to cry and told them she had nothing for them to take. One of the assailants, later identified by the prosecution as Thompson, then hit her in the head with what she thought was a hammer, the affidavit said.
The assailants took her wallet from her suitcase, which contained bank cards, foreign currency and about $200 in U.S. currency. She said they also took her two cellphones, court documents said.
A tip from a confidential informant led police to two suspects, “Junior” and “Vince,” who were allegedly trafficking stolen property belonging to the victim. Police later identified “Junior” as Thompson and “Vince” as Burnett, court records show.
Burnett and Thompson were scheduled for trial April 25. Thompson is being tried as an adult. His case is still pending.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said he will recommend Burnett serve 18 1/4 years in prison. The defense will likely argue for a lesser sentence April 28.
Burnett is not to have contact with the victim or Thompson.
In his guilty statement, Burnett wrote that Thompson assaulted the victim but acknowledged a jury could find he was an accomplice. He admitted to shutting off the woman’s electricity before leaving the home so she couldn’t call for help.
Smith said the victim is a Buddhist nun who speaks little English.
Burnett’s defense attorney, Heather Carroll, said her client denies seeing Thompson strike the victim, and that he was not calling the shots that night.
