Woman Sentenced After Pleading Guilty To Killing Her Aunt In 2016

CATAWBA COUNTY, NC — A woman charged in connection to the 2016 death of her aunt has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison.

Tina Swink, 52, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to Second Degree Murder and Larceny of a Motor Vehicle. She will spend the next 18 to 22 years in prison.

Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in her case.

“I’m real sorry for what happened that day,” Swink said during Monday’s sentencing. “No words will ever make things right for our family.”

Officials say 66-year-old Patricia Swink was found dead in her Hickory area home on November 1, 2016.

Swink reportedly had company over the night before when Tina and her son Micky broke into her home through the basement. Officials say the mother and son waited for nearly three hours until the guests left, and then surprised Swink when she opened the basement door.

Micky admitted to stabbing her several times in the neck and chest before they walked over her body and proceeded to take pills, money, and a gun from inside the home. The two suspects then left in Swink’s vehicle, which they eventually abandoned in Long View.

Micky Swink pleaded guilty in July 2017 to First Degree Murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty in his case.

During his sentencing, Mickey stated, “I’m deeply sorry for the actions I committed… It has forever impacted everyone around me. For that I deeply apologize.”

A third suspect, Richard Deal, was also charged with Accessory After the Fact in connection to the case.