Reynoldsburg woman takes plea deal in fatal stabbing

After three days on trial for murder in Franklin County Common Pleas Court and right before closing arguments were scheduled to begin Thursday, a Reynoldsburg woman took a plea bargain with prosecutors.

Dominique Carpenter, 29, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for fatally stabbing her boyfriend, 33year-old Mohamed Kaba, on Oct. 30, 2020 inside their apartment.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Brown will sentence Carpenter on July 12. Prosecutors and Carpenter’s defense attorney, Priya Tamilarasan, are jointly recommending Brown sentence Carpenter to 11 years in prison.

Both Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Lenert and Tamilarasan declined to comment to The Dispatch after the guilty plea.

A video captured by a Reynoldsburg police officer’s body camera of Carpenter speaking with officers after the stabbing was played in court during the trial. In that video, Carpenter said she and Kaba had been fighting verbally and then physically before she stabbed him.

During the trial, two forensic psychologists testified — one for the defense and one for the prosecution — on whether Carpenter was suffering from battered woman syndrome from alleged ongoing abuse by Kaba.

Carpenter and Kaba had no children together. Kaba is survived by one minor child and Carpenter has two children.

One of Carpenter’s children and a relative’s child were both in the home when the stabbing occurred.

Brown allowed Carpenter to remain out on bond until her sentencing date, telling her he was giving her time to make arrangements for her kids. jlaird@dispatch.com @Lairdwrites