Connecticut resident Jashawn “Rico” Hunter has settled the state charges against him

Connecticut resident Jashawn “Rico” Hunter has settled the state charges against him by a plea agreement. And just as his defense attorney predicted several months ago, the most serious charge against Hunter did not stand. Hunter, 34, pleaded guilty in Caledonia Superior Court on Monday to an amended charge of aggravated assault and aggravated assault with a weapon in exchange for a prison sentence of 6.5 to 9 years to serve and $294 in court surcharges. All other state charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal. The state sentence will be served concurrently with whatever sentence Hunter receives in federal court where he is facing felony charges of unlawful transport of firearms and narcotics possession related to the same incident. Hunter was charged with attempted murder after being accused last fall of kidnapping, assaulting and pistol-whipping Barnet resident Matthew Goodell, 26, while trafficking illegal drugs into Vermont in September of 2021. Police say Goodell escaped from the ongoing assault out a bathroom window but suffered from multiple head and face injuries including a fractured cheekbone. Hunter had been facing a possible life sentence if convicted on the attempted murder charge. Two of Hunter’s co-defendants in the kidnapping and assault incident – Sydney Clark-Adams, 25, of Townsend, Vt. and Kyle Goodell, 24, of Waterford – have also settled the state charges against them.