A Fort Dodge woman will not be forced to sit through a days-long jury trial and relive the most horrific night of her life over again now that the second defendant accused of trying to end her life has pleaded guilty in Webster County District Court.

Marcus Western, 23, of Minneapolis, is charged with attempted murder and first-degree burglary, both Class B felonies, for the brutal Nov. 2, 2021, attack on Ciane Smith in Smith’s home on the south side of Fort Dodge.

During the attack by Western and accomplice Sharon Morara, Smith was strangled and stabbed several times and eventually left for dead.

Smith, who was 21 at the time, had previously been in a relationship with Western and was pregnant with his child at the time of the attack. Smith was critically injured in the stabbing and was transported to a Des Moines hospital with significant injuries.

Smith’s older child, who was just shy of 2 years old at the time, witnessed the attack, but was unharmed. Smith was paralyzed from the waist down, but she and her unborn child survived the attack and all three are now thriving.

About two weeks after the attack, Western and Morara were apprehended in Minnesota.

On Monday afternoon, Western entered pleas of guilty to the charges of attempted murder and burglary. During the plea hearing, Western admitted to breaking into Smith’s home and strangling her, but said that Morara was the one who carried out the multiple stabbings.

“I could have stopped it, but I didn’t,” Western said.

Western stopped short of admitting his intent that night was to kill Smith, but acknowledged that he previously said he did know that Morara intended to kill Smith.

Morara previously pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and first-degree burglary for her role in the attack. In May, Morara was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison with a 70 percent minimum time served before she can be considered for parole.

A sentencing hearing for Western has been scheduled for Sept. 11 at the Webster County Courthouse. According to the plea agreement with the Webster County Attorney’s Office, the parties will recommend two indeterminate 25-year sentences for each of Western’s charges, both to be served concurrently, and the attempted murder charge will also carry a 70 percent minimum. Remaining charges of conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, assault while participating in a felony and domestic abuse assault impeding air/blood flow will also be dismissed.

The plea and sentencing agreement is contingent on the judge’s approval once a pre-sentencing investigation report is completed. If the judge declines to accept the sentences to be served concurrently, Western will be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea.