Charges: St. Paul Woman Fatally Stabbed Boyfriend Near Her 3 Children
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 33-year-old St. Paul woman is accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend inside her apartment while her three children were home.
Melissa Marie Fostvedt faces one felony count of second-degree murder in connection to the Dec. 5, 2015 incident.
On Saturday afternoon, officers responded to the Park Pointe apartment complex on the 1100 block of Hamline Avenue. There they found a man who had suffered a stabbing wound.
According to the criminal complaint, Fostvedt initially reported to police that the victim, identified as 21-year-old Thomas Calvin Donald Jenkins, also of St. Paul, was making food when he slipped on water and fell on a knife.
When emergency responders arrived, Jenkins was found on the floor stabbed with a kitchen knife nearby. He was taken to Regions Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Fostvedt said Jenkins started "talking s--t" to her, started "freaking out", there was a "freaky" noise and she then saw the knife and Jenkins fall, the complaint said. She said she didn't remember what happened and didn't want to get in trouble for "that part." Investigators noted that she had a cut or bruise on her upper left arm. She had no idea where it came from.
At one point, investigators left the interview room and Fostvedt began banging her head on the table, and the continued to try and injure herself while en route to Regions Hospital. Once there, Fostvedt allegedly tried asking a hospital employee "what to say to get into psych."
When police interviewed the children, two of the children – 10 and 7 years old -- supported Fostvedt's version of the events, but the 4-year-old told the interviewer that "mommy stabbed fat head", which is what the children called Jenkins. The 4-year-old then pointed at his armpit.
An autopsy revealed the fatal stab wound occurred to the left of Jenkins' chest, near the arm pit. The medical examiner also found that Jenkins had a second superficial stab wound to the right chest and an apparent defensive incision wound to the left forearm. According to the examiner, Jenkins bled to death and the wounds to his body were the result of a homicide.
Jenkins' mother told police that her son, who she said was slow, had been dating Fostvedt for six months and lived with her off and on. She said he said Fostvedt has been using meth and Adderall, and that he had been assaulted by Fostvedt in the past, including punching and spitting.
Fostvedt has a criminal history that includes assault, prostitution, disorderly conduct, interference with 911 and others.
If convicted, Fostvedt faces up to 40 years in prison.
