New York man pleads guilty to killing mom who tried to protect daughter, 10, from rape

A man was arrested, charged and convicted of rape and murder related charges after pleading guilty to killing a mother, who tried to protect her daughter from being raped, according to court proceedings in New York.

David Renz

Prosecutors said that an upstate New York man, who cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet, raped a girl, 10, and killed her mother. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and sexual assault charges.
David Renz admitted in court that he detained the mother and her child while they were in their vehicle, and stabbing and strangling the mother to death after she tried to stop the rape of her daughter.
Renz had been under surveillance after he was charged by the federal government with child pornography.
Renz, 29, pleaded guilty to state charges of first-degree murder and sexual assault against a child. He is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without parole, but the plea may be withdrawn if the federal government decides to seek the death penalty.

Authorities said that Renz attacked Lori Bresnahan, a school librarian, and her daughter after leaving gym class at a mall in the Syracuse suburb of Clay. Police said he used a gun to force the woman to drive her car to a remote area of ​​the mall parking lot, where he bound them and raped the girl.
Prosecutors said that Renz was trying to use clamps to tie the woman to a headrest in her car when she fought him off and yelled at the girl to run out of the vehicle. As the girl escaped, she was rescued by a passing motorist, but her mother was strangled and stabbed several times in the head and chest, officials said. Renz was captured by the police shortly thereafter.
Hours before the attack, Renz removed an electronic bracelet that monitored his location, authorities said. He was ordered to use the device as a condition of being released from jail following his arrest on federal charges of child pornography.
Federal probation officers who were monitoring Renz were fired or demoted from their positions.