A Gretna woman accused of attacking her father and grandmother with hatchets inside their Terrytown home more than four years ago will not go to prison. Amanda Benton, now 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of aggravated battery, and a judge ordered her to serve five years of probation instead of time behind bars.
Jefferson Parish Judge Donald “Chick” Foret suspended a 10-year prison sentence and placed Benton on probation, according to court records as reported by NOLA.com. The Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office reduced the original attempted first-degree murder charges to the two aggravated battery counts and dropped a separate burglary charge as part of the plea, per the same court records.
The case dates back to June 2022, when Benton allegedly forced her way into her father's home on Morningside Drive in Terrytown just before 6 a.m., according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Authorities said she attacked her father with a hatchet while he slept, striking his face and arm multiple times and leaving him injured.
Grandmother Also Struck With Hatchets
Investigators said Benton also attacked her grandmother, striking the woman in the head and collarbone with hatchets. The two source accounts differ on the grandmother's age at the time: the original JPSO-sourced report put her at 84, while the more recent court-record summary describes her as 87. After the attacks, Benton ran from the residence and was arrested two days later, on June 7, 2022.
Court records cited in the sentencing report state that Benton was found not mentally competent to proceed to trial on two separate occasions before the case moved forward. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and hallucinations, according to those records, and relatives told authorities she had been hospitalized multiple times for psychiatric and mental health issues dating back to childhood.
Residential Placement and Treatment Conditions
As part of her sentence, Foret ordered Benton to live at Grace House or a similar residential facility for at least one year, followed by placement at a second-chance residential facility, according to the court records. She must also continue psychiatric treatment through JeffCare, the parish's mental and behavioral health program, and take all medication recommended to her.
The judge's order further requires Benton to wear an ankle monitor and bars her from possessing a firearm. Foret also issued protective orders prohibiting Benton from contacting the victims for two years, the court records state.
What Louisiana Law Says About the Charges
Under Louisiana's aggravated battery statute, the offense can carry a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both, with at least one year required to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, according to the Louisiana Legislature. Separate state law caps probation terms at five years except under specific statutory exceptions, per the Louisiana Legislature's published statute language.
