A North Miami-Dade teen who stabbed his mother to death with a butcher knife — then lived with the body for eight days, even throwing a party — pleaded guilty Friday and agreed to spend 28 years in prison.
Kit Darrant pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the March 2012 slaying of Renette Emile, 35.
The plea deal will spare his younger brother and aunt from having to relive the gruesome facts of the case at trial, a prosecutor told the judge.
“It’s a fair resolution for all,” prosecutor Laura Adams said.
Darrant must also serve 20 years of probation after he leaves prison, plus undergo mental health and drug treatment. Now 19, he could leave prison while in his 40s.
“The murder of Rene Emile was tragic and Mr. Darrant publicly apologizes for his actions and the immense pain they have caused others. This deal is equally beneficial to both sides. It allows this young man to repay his debt to society yet still have a second chance at life,” said his lawyer, Christopher DeCoste.
Darrant said to the judge: “The man that I am now is not the boy that I used to be. Actions speak louder than words, and I intend to prove that to you.”
He was a 16-year-old student at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School when he killed his mother after they got into a argument. After strangling her and stabbing her over 100 times with a butcher knife, Darrant covered her body up with sheets and blankets.
Then, for more than a week, he partied, shopped, skipped school and took care of his 3-year-old brother — all this while his mother’s decaying body lay on the floor of her bedroom under a pile of blankets. He kept sprinkling the body with Gain detergent powder to try to keep down the smell.
Over the years, according to court documents, Darrant had struggled with typical teenaged angst, squabbling frequently with his mother, taking her car without permission, smoking marijuana and drinking. In one episode, he got so angry with his mother that he jumped out of their moving car, tumbling to the pavement, throwing his hands up and daring oncoming traffic to hit him, his aunt told police.
Darrant spent a week in the hospital undergoing treatment for his injuries and mental health.
The night of the murder, prosecutors say Darrant got into argument with his mother after coming home late. He strangled her, but because she was still alive, he fetched a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her over 100 times.
As the body decomposed, he threw a party for over 60 Krop High students. At least one student complained about the smell, but Darrant laughed it off and said it was probably trash.
Emile’s sister grew suspicious and, along with her boyfriend and police, finally discovered the body at the apartment on the 1700 block of Northeast 191st Street.