Richfield man charged in near-fatal stabbing of ex-girlfriend

A Richfield man was charged with first-degree assault for nearly killing his former girlfriend with a knife wound to her neck, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.

Thomas Edward Boyd 29, also was charged with second-degree assault in the Monday morning attack. Boyd also was hospitalized because he appeared to be overdosing when police arrived and they administered Narcan to counteract the suspected opioid in his system. His bond was set at $50,000 with conditions.

According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Richfield Police officers were sent to a home in the 7300 Block of Harriet Avenue about 5:40 a.m. Monday. The victim, identified as E.R., was sitting on the kitchen floor, covered in blood and holding a towel against her neck. The laceration in her neck was six inches long, nearly four inches deep and next to her carotid artery.

Investigators followed a trail of blood upstairs to Boyd’s bedroom where they discovered a pool of blood on the floor and a clump of hair on a pillow on Boyd’s bed, the complaint stated. Boyd’s mother told police she awoke about 5:30 a.m. to the sound of her son yelling at E.R. A short time later, the woman came down to the kitchen and asked Boyd’s mother for help because she had been stabbed.

Boyd’s mother called 911. During the 911 call, the young woman could be heard crying in the background and saying “What is wrong with you? Why would you do this to me?” while Boyd can be heard yelling at her, according to the complaint. Police recovered a butcher knife, wrapped in a red jacket, from the kitchen counter.

Boyd Criminal Complaint (PDF)