Apparently, for some people, food is a very serious subject – see our similar blog about a Thanksgiving Stabbing. So serious, in fact, when it is taken from them, they react violently. This must have been the case for a woman who stabbed her boyfriend with two different instruments after he ate her salsa. According to the news story, the woman became angry that her boyfriend was eating too much salsa, so she used a pen to stab him in the pelvis. Then, she knocked over the TV and when her boyfriend jumped up to catch it, she grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the stomach. She fled the scene, but was caught after a car chase and admitted to the stabbing. She is now facing First Degree Assault – Domestic Violence charges.
What is 1st Degree Assault in Fort Collins?
C.R.S. 18-3-202 – Assault in the First Degree – is defined by Colorado law as:
(a) With intent to cause serious bodily injury to another person, he causes serious bodily injury to any person by means of a deadly weapon; or
(b) With intent to disfigure another person seriously and permanently, or to destroy, amputate, or disable permanently a member or organ of his body, he causes such an injury to any person; or
(c) Under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he knowingly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another person, and thereby causes serious bodily injury to any person
In Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park, a ‘deadly weapon’ means:
- A firearm, or gun, whether loaded or unloaded; or
- A knife, bludgeon, or any other weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, whether animate or inanimate, that, in the manner it is used or intended to be used, is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury.”
In the case above, the woman used a knife, a deadly weapon, and caused serious bodily injury to her boyfriend, which is why she is facing the class 3 felony charge of First Degree Assault.
What is Domestic Violence in Larimer County?
Colorado law defines C.R.S. 18-6-800.3 – Domestic Violence – as:
In Larimer, Boulder and Grand County, Domestic Violence is not a criminal charge by itself. It is a tag added to any underlying crime, which allows for harsher punishments. For example, the woman in the story would be charged with the underlying crime of 1st Degree Assault and the Domestic Violence sentence enhancer would be added because the act of violence was against the man with whom she had an intimate relationship. The DV sentence enhancer means the woman will be required to pay for, participate in and complete Domestic Violence treatment and evaluations.