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A Schenectady woman has pleaded guilty to assault charges after a violent incident involving her wife and her wife’s friend in 2024, according to prosecutors and court records. Juanita Moore, age 25, admitted in Schenectady County Court on Wednesday (March 25) to one count of first-degree assault and one count of first-degree attempted assault.
The case began on Halloween, Thursday (October 31, 2024), when Moore drove a Hertz rental vehicle to a house where her wife was staying with a friend. According to investigators, Moore entered the home, got into a fight with her wife, punched her several times, and cut her hand with a kitchen knife. As Moore was being placed back in the car by her wife in an attempt to end the conflict, Moore shifted the vehicle into reverse and dragged her wife along the ground, causing head injuries and multiple cuts, as reported by WNYT.
When the friend rushed outside to help, Moore drove forward, struck the friend with the vehicle, and caused foot fractures and other injuries. She also crashed the car into the home’s foundation, resulting in thousands of dollars in damage to both the house and the car. After getting out of the vehicle, Moore grabbed a baseball bat, smashed the front door window, chased her wife down, and hit her with the bat before fleeing, according to a report from CBS6 Albany.
Moore then left the Schenectady area in a different vehicle with her two children, leading state police on two high-speed chases. Troopers ended the pursuits upon realizing children were present in the car, as detailed by the Daily Voice. Moore was arrested the next day when she returned to the Capital Region.
In court, Moore admitted she intended to cause serious physical injury to both her wife and her wife’s friend using dangerous instruments. She is expected to be sentenced to 11 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision. Sentencing is scheduled to take place soon.