LAKE WALES, Fla. — A woman is in the hospital after she was stabbed twice and she fatally stabbed her partner during a domestic dispute on Thursday.
The Lake Wales Police Department said a man and a woman had been in a long-term relationship for about 10 years. On June 12, just before 5 p.m., the suspect struck the victim in the face during a domestic confrontation, according to police.
The woman, who police said is the victim, went inside her home to call 911, but her phone was dead, so she put it to charge. The woman needed to go to her car to retrieve some belongings, but due to the previous actions of the suspect, she feared for her life. Believing the man, who police said is the suspect, was no longer in the area, she armed herself with a kitchen knife and walked to her vehicle, according to police.
Investigators said when the woman got to her car, the suspect approached her and hit her over the head with a machete. Police said the woman then used the knife in her hand to defend herself, fatally stabbing the man and causing him to drop the machete. The suspect then grabbed the knife he was stabbed with and used it to stab the victim in the back, leaving the weapon in her back before he collapsed on the ground.
Officials said the man was found unresponsive at the apartment complex and pronounced dead. The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she is being treated for her injuries.
LWPD said based on the evidence in the case, no criminal charges have been filed, and they believe the incident to be a case of self-defense.
The investigation is ongoing.
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
