A judge sentenced a 15-year-old to two and a half to six years in Pennsylvania state prison after he pleaded guilty to stabbing his aunt.
D'Andre Jennings stabbed his aunt in the back of her head "without reason" while she was driving in February, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's (DA) Office. Jennings pleaded guilty to an aggravated assault charge and was sentenced Nov. 4. (RELATED: More People Were Stabbed In Fulton County Jail Than All Of Atlanta Last Year)
He also pleaded guilty to possessing "an instrument of crime" as well as reckless endangerment of another individual.
Jennings was in the back seat of the vehicle when he stabbed his aunt, who subsequently swung toward oncoming traffic before managing to stop.
Although she survived, his aunt sustained "a large laceration on the back side of her head," according to the DA's Office.
Jennings told law enforcement that he fell asleep and then suffered a panic attack. He claimed to "see red" before committing the crime. He told them that he blacked out before waking up to the knife in his grasp and his aunt's screams. Jennings claimed he retrieved the knife from the driver's side compartment in the morning prior to their departure. (RELATED: New York City Stabbing Spree Suspect Had Eight Prior Arrests, Out On Bail During Attacks)
Jennings exited the vehicle and told a witness the woman had been stabbed. The witness proceeded to contact police.
He tossed the knife into the woods and tried to flee but was apprehended by Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) "with blood on his hands."
His aunt told law enforcement that she experienced "an intense pressure in her head" while she was driving as Jennings sought to lodge the knife deeper into her, according to the DA's Office.
The woman added that she did not know why Jennings stabbed her, saying they were listening to music when the crime occurred. (RELATED: Minnesota Man Sentenced To 33 Years In Prison After Murdering Wife During Bible Study)
PSP Trooper Todd Wagner filed the charges against Jennings while Assistant DA Janie Swinehart oversaw the court case.