One of three defendants charged in relation to a 2021 homicide case learned her fate on Thursday, Aug. 21, in a Butler County courtroom.

Brooke R. Fair Smith, 32, of Butler, entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to commit robbery and was immediately sentenced.

Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCune imposed a term of 2.5 to 10 years in prison, in connection with the December 2021 shooting and stabbing death of 31-year-old Hakeem Moran on College Street during a special status conference Thursday.

Fair Smith initially was charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, conspiracy, and burglary, along with two others — Hassan Brack and Kahlil Rippy. As part of agreements with the District Attorney’s Office, both Fair Smith and Rippy agreed to testify against Brack at his trial in April in exchange for lighter sentences.

“She’d been sitting in jail for so long,” Joel Hills, Smith’s defense attorney, said in a call after the conference. “I guess she just wanted to get it started.”

During Brack’s trial, Fair Smith testified Brack convinced her to help him rob Moran of drugs, and said the plan had been only to rob Moran.

According to Rippy’s testimony, a struggle ensued between Brack and Moran, which ended with Brack stabbing Moran numerous times and then shooting him.

Brack’s trial ended in a mistrial, but he entered a guilty plea to third-degree murder on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and received a sentence of eigh to 40 years in state prison.

As part of her sentence, Fair Smith, who has been incarcerated since March 2023, will receive credit for time served. This amounts to 29 months — just one fewer than the minimum sentence.

However, McCune said the decision of when Fair Smith would be released wasn’t up to him.

As for Rippy, his next status conference is scheduled at 9 a.m. Sept. 23 in front of McCune.