Patricia PhelpsBURLINGTON, Vt. -
Prosecutors dropped attempted murder
charges against a Burlington woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend after he
denied getting her pregnant.
Instead, Patricia Phelps, 19, is
charged with aggravated assault. Prosecutors say they downgraded the charge
after the victim changed his story. Duga Landu-Colin, 27, now claims Phelps was
not trying to kill him, but trying to cut herself. He says he was stabbed in
the gut while wrestling the knife from her hands.
Prosecutors say Phelps was extremely
reckless and they're confident they have enough evidence to support the assault
charge.
"It's still a serious
case. There was still serious bodily harm and there was a weapon involved. So
we're going to be treating it seriously," Chittenden County Deputy State's
Attorney Bram Kranichfeld said.
Phelps was released
without bail into her father's custody. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years
behind bars.
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