Woman who stabbed her parents in 2022 in North Ridgeville pleads guilty

A woman who stabbed and seriously injured her parents in 2022 at their North Ridgeville home has pleaded guilty to all the charges against her in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. Emily Deese, 36, whose last known address in court records was listed as being in Strongsville, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of attempted murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of domestic violence and one count of tampering with evidence, all felonies, in Judge Melissa Kobasher's courtroom. Each of the felonious assault charges alleges different elements or factual patterns behind the crimes, not that Deese allegedly assaulted more than two victims. Lorain County Assistant Prosecutor Matt Kern, who prosecuted Deese, said she pleaded guilty to the entire indictment against her. Sentencing is scheduled Sept. 6, and there is no agreed-upon sentence between prosecutors and the defense, he said. Deese was being held on $241,000 bond in the Lorain County Jail. A trial had been scheduled to start Oct. 7. She "wanted to plead and wants to go to prison, and get her sentence done," defense attorney Kenneth Lieux said Monday. He said Deese's sentence is up to Kobasher. At different times Deese was held at two mental health facilities, Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare Hospital in Columbus and Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare in Northfield, while officials tried to restore her to competency ahead of her trial. According to court records, Kobasher ordered Deese to take psychiatric medications and submit to medical testing while in custody. Later, Deese refused to take part in a psychological evaluations "because she is not interested in a sanity defense," according to court records. She officially withdrew her plea of "not guilty by reason of insanity" in May, according to court records. North Ridgeville police arrested Deese on Dec. 6, 2022, and charged her with stabbing her parents, James and Melanie Deese, in their home on Amber Way in North Ridgeville. Police said Melanie Deese suffered nine serious stab wounds and James Deese had four, including two serious wounds to his neck. Emily Deese chased her father onto Wildlife Trail east of Amber Way, where she was arrested. Multiple North Ridgeville police officers who responded and helped save Melanie and James Deese were awarded lifesaving commendations by their department. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.