FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Lisa Hinthorne agreed to become a convicted killer as she pleaded no contest to the 2023 death of her half-sister, Patty Kennett, on Wednesday. It came just hours before prosecutors were set to reveal new evidence during a preliminary hearing.

"The maximum punishment for the crimes that you're pleading to is 40 years to life," Fresno County Superior Court Judge Raj Singh Badhesha told Hinthorne.

Authorities say Hinthorne claimed her sister had died, but there were no hospital or ambulance records.

Investigators later found Kennett's bloodied car in Madera, and her body in a remote area of Coalinga.

"Patty was her ride (or) die," Terrie Fairley told Action News on November 29, 2023. "Patty was everything to her, so I don't understand what happened."

Fairley, H

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