1 of 2 Accused in McShane, Jurich Beating Pleads Guilty

One of two suspects in a 2010 Bucktown beating that left one woman injured and another, confined to a wheelchair, pleaded guilty in a courtroom Tuesday morning, according to reports.

Marcy Cruz, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder in the beating of Natasha McShane and Stacy Jurich, the Chicago Tribune reports. The other suspect, 34-year-old Heriberto Viramontes, is headed to trial Sept. 9.

READ: Trial Date Set for Natasha McShane's Accused Assailants

Cruz is reportedly cooperating with prosecutors and is expected to testify at Viramontes’ trial, the Tribune story says, citing a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Northern Ireland woman Natasha McShane, now 26, and friend Stacy Starl Jurich were attacked in the 1800 block of North Damen Avenue on April 23, 2010 by a man wielding a baseball bat. 

McShane, who was in a coma and placed on a ventilator following the attack, remains in a wheelchair. She is unable to speak.

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"Viramontes ... is accused of beating the women while Cruz sat in a van during the attack," the Tribune says. "The trial in the case has been delayed as attorneys wrangled over DNA evidence and other issues."