Escondido girls admit to trying to kill friend

ESCONDIDO — Two teenage girls have pleaded guilty to a brutal stabbing and beating that nearly killed their friend.
Karina Amador and Jovana Gudino, both 15, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other felony charges relating to the May 2009 attack on a then 14-year-old girl in her home on Goldenrod Street in Escondido; both girls were charged as adults.
The victim suffered five stab wounds from the attack, as well as scratches from a knife being dragged over her body. Amador told police the attack was because of a boy.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the torture charge from the girls’ complaints, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. At their sentencing on Sept. 16, the teen defendants face more than 15 years each in state prison.