Today in Norristown, 32-year-old Nicole Cadwalader pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder in the stabbing and beating death of her grandmother Sharon Burke. Cadwalader and her grandmother lived together in Ambler.

Judge Thomas C. Branca sentenced Cadwalader to 12½ to 25 years in prison and is required to continue mental-health treatment during her incarceration and once released.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Her attorney, Carrie Allman, said the negotiated plea was an appropriate resolution for Cadwalader, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

“She’s incredibly remorseful, now that she understands what happened,” Allman said after the hearing Monday. “We have Nicole, who is going to spend years in state prison, her grandmother who died under horrible circumstances, and you have Nicole’s mother, who lost her own mother, and who has a daughter that needs serious treatment.”

Read the full article from the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

Photo: Mugshot from Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office