[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A man was attacked by his girlfriend before dawn one morning earlier this month, and another man staying in the same room as the couple saw — and, uh, heard — the whole horrific thing happen.
Lena Deoliveira, pictured above smiling (yes, smiling…) in her mugshot, is now in jail and facing attempted murder and aggravated assault charges after allegedly attacking her boyfriend Jonathan Granados at just after 5:00 a.m. back on September 5. The duo, who cops say appear to be unhoused, were staying at the time in a detached garage behind a home in Fargo, North Dakota.
According to local news reports, the 23-year-old Deoliveira attacked Granados without warning by allegedly taking a hatchet and striking him several times about the head and face. What?!?! Why???
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The third person staying in that detached garage, who was not publicly named by police according to KVLY Valley News, reported that he was awakened by Granados’ screams during the scuffle. Once awake, the man reported he “looked and saw Lena swing down with the hatchet,” per a police affidavit uncovered by that news outlet.
The witness was not able to see the exact point of impact from across the dark garage, but he did tell cops that at first, he “heard it sound like splitting wood, initially thinking she hit the headrest or headboard” of the bed, per the police report.
But… it quickly became clear that it wasn’t the headboard. It was Granados’ HEAD!!!!
Deoliveira seemed “out of it” during the attack, according to the witness. But after seeing what was apparently a ton of blood spurting from Granados’ head and body, she seemed to snap back into consciousness. Per the witness, Lena made at least two full-swing direct hits with the hatchet.
Per the police report, the man also told officers that “it looked like one or two of Johnny’s fingers were missing or kind of hanging,” and that he “saw blood and a mark through Johnny’s skull.”
WTF…
Lena fled at that point. Thankfully, somebody called 911, and cops showed up along with paramedics. Granados was transported to a local hospital and sent immediately into emergency surgery to repair what local news outlets termed severe injuries to both his hands and head.
Two days later, Deoliveira was picked up by cops in Moorhead, Minnesota, which is just across the state line from Fargo. So, she didn’t go too far. She was arrested without incident and extradited back across the border to North Dakota, where she promptly demanded an attorney as soon as she sat down with detectives.
Now, she’s being held on a $500,000 bond over the aforementioned attempted murder and aggravated assault charges. Her next court appearance will come on October 16.
Let’s just hope Granados can make a full recovery. The auditory imagery of “splitting like wood” is gonna stay with us for a while. Ugh.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Cass County Jail]