Mugshot of Donna Emmanuel. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A woman has been charged with domestic violence-related assault after allegedly stabbing a relative during a confrontation outside a local housing community.
According to court documents, officers were dispatched to the Candido Guadalupe Housing Community around 11:30 p.m. last Wednesday following a 911 call reporting that a woman had been stabbed.
When officers arrived, they found a woman crying in the front passenger seat of an SUV, holding a blood-soaked paper towel to her head. Her clothing and hands were also reportedly covered in blood.
The injured woman told police she had been at home in the Aureo Diaz Heights apartment complex earlier that evening when her best friend arrived to pick her up. Also in the vehicle was the father of her best friend’s children, who was getting a ride to his home in the Candido Guadalupe Housing Community.
As they arrived near Building 5, the occupants of the SUV noticed Donna Emmanuel standing outside, holding what was later described in police reports as a “brass knuckle knife.” Emmanuel allegedly began arguing with the best friend about the man they had just dropped off.
In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, the woman who had been picked up said she exited the vehicle and encouraged her best friend to get behind the wheel and leave. Just as they were about to drive off, Emmanuel allegedly approached and stabbed the woman in the head without warning. The best friend then attempted to intervene but was also reportedly attacked, according to the police report.
The injured woman informed officers that Emmanuel is a relative and that this was not the first time Emmanuel and her best friend—the mother of the man’s children—had fought over him. The man involved told police that he didn’t witness the beginning of the altercation but did assist in separating the two women.
During questioning, Emmanuel denied any familial relationship with the woman she’s accused of stabbing; however, her mother later confirmed the connection. Emmanuel also denied having a knife.
Despite those denials, Emmanuel was arrested and charged with third-degree assault as a crime of domestic violence and use of a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence. She was taken into custody and held pending her advice of rights hearing, initially scheduled for April 22. That hearing has since been rescheduled to Friday. As of press time, Emmanuel remains in detention.
