Woman pleads guilty to role in Pierce County deputy's killing

TACOMA, Wash. -- A woman accused of driving two men to a robbery in which a Pierce County sheriff's deputy was killed has pleaded guilty in Superior Court.

Brenda Troyer, 53, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree rendering criminal assistance. She will be sentenced in October.

Authorities say Troyer drove 34-year-old Frank Pawul and 35-year-old Henry Michael Cardento to the Fredrickson area, where they planned to rob a mobile home.

Deputy Daniel McCartney was killed when responding to the robbery. Cardento was also found dead with multiple gunshot wounds, including a self-inflicted shot to the head.

Pawul pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, unlawful possession of a firearm and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery in early August. He received a sentence of life without parole.