Ruth Correa — who, along with her brother Sergio Correa, allegedly murdered three members of the Lindquist family in Griswold in 2017 — pleaded guilty on Thursday to three counts of felony murder as part of a plea deal.

The deal, signed by Ruth Correa and a team of attorneys in August 2019, requires her to testify against her brother in exchange for a suggested sentence of 40 years served in prison. She pleaded guilty to three counts of felony murder, charges that carry a maximum sentence of up to 180 years in prison.

The Correa siblings were arrested in 2018 and charged with the brutal slayings of Kenneth, Janet and Matthew Lindquist. Ruth Correa, 26, has been held in lieu of a $2.5 million bond for three years. She originally faced additional charges of murder with special circumstances, arson and home invasion.

Ruth Correa was brought in from the Department of Correction on Thursday and appeared in court in person before Judge Hillary B. Strackbein, and was represented by public defender Kevin Barrs. She spoke quietly to the judge when entering her three guilty pleas, while handcuffed at her wrists and ankles. Members of the Lindquist family filled three socially distanced rows in the gallery behind her.

On Dec. 20, 2017, Ruth Correa allegedly traveled from Hartford to Griswold with her brother, Sergio — whom she is not biologically related to — under the impression that they were "going to pretend to sell drugs and get guns," according to Ruth Correa's account of that night and documents read in court Thursday by Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Carney.

The pair allegedly drove to the Lindquist house at the behest of 21-year-old Matthew Lindquist to bring him drugs. Matthew had offered to give the Correas access to his parents' guns in exchange for the drugs, according to text messages obtained in the investigation.

When the siblings arrived, they allegedly picked up Matthew Lindquist in Sergio Correa's car. At some point in their interaction, Lindquist began to panic and tried to run away from them, Carney said. Sergio Correa went after him with a machete and tried to tie him up with zip ties and duct tape. He then told his sister "to get him" and Ruth Correa went after Lindquist and allegedly stabbed him at least 10 times. She and her brother then dumped his body in a wooded area nearby and headed to his parents' house.

Sergio and Ruth Correa then allegedly entered the Lindquists' house. Sergio Correa began to beat Kenneth Lindquist, 56, with a baseball bat. Ruth Correa hit the family's golden retriever Skylar over the head with a golf club, killing the dog.

Ruth Correa then led Janet Lindquist, 61, into another room where she told her that her son had set her and her husband up, according to court records. Sergio Correa taunted her with a gun, repeatedly choked her with a rope and struck her over the head as Ruth Correa went around the house stealing things.

The siblings were in the house for approximately four hours, leaving the parents dead. Before they left, they poured a liquid around the house and Sergio Correa lit an exercise ball on fire, according to court records. The house went up in flames.

Judge Strackbein on Thursday accepted Ruth Correa's guilty pleas but said she was not able to set a sentencing date because she could not be sentenced prior to her brother's trial.

"We have to wait for his trial, which we're hoping will be coming as soon as possible," Strackbein said.

Joseph Lopez, attorney for Sergio Correa, said a meeting has been set for June 1 to schedule the trial date for his case. Judge Strackbein said last week that jury selection for Sergio Correa's case is set to be scheduled soon, as jury trials start back up statewide.

Chief Court Administrator Patrick Carroll announced earlier this month that the Judicial Branch will resume summoning jurors to courthouses throughout the state on June 1 after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strackbein said Sergio Correa's case would be at the top of the list as jury trials resume.

Lopez said Thursday that he hopes jury selection will begin for Sergio Correa's case in the first or second week of June.

t.hartz@theday.com