Hearing postponed for woman charged with 3 counts of attempted murder
Nov 13, 2024
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- A pregnant woman accused of hitting and badly injuring a teen girl with her vehicle -- and of intentionally trying to hit two others -- won't have a preliminary hearing until February at the earliest.
On Wednesday, the preliminary hearing for Nia McKnight was postponed from this week to Feb. 7, according to Superior Court records. Further delays are possible.
McKnight, 26, is charged with three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon other than a gun and a single count of vandalism.
According to court documents, McKnight drove an SUV to her sister's home on the afternoon of Aug. 13. She told police she'd intended to fight her for remarks she'd made about their mother.
McKnight said she got out and confronted her, but another relative who was present hit her.
McKnight got back in the SUV then drove onto the front yard, speeding up to smash into the house’s southeast corner, according to witness statements contained in the documents. The impact collapsed the southeast wall.
She backed up and turned around before accelerating again -- hitting a 14-year-old girl and pinning her against a tree stump, documents said. McKnight told police she didn't intend to hit the girl, saying she jumped in front of her.
It's also alleged McKnight tried to run over two adults during the incident.
Her attorney, Mark Anthony Raimondo, has said the pregnancy -- McKnight was about two months pregnant at the time -- may have affected her emotional state.