NC - Lauren Hugelmaier, 29, stabbed to death, Raleigh, 1 Sept 2017 *Arrest*

[SteveP]

123 stab wounds! How does someone even have the energy to thrust a knife into anything that many times, much less a human being that they have vowed to love and cherish...this man is an absolutely evil monster, and his family has hired one of the very best attorneys in NC to defend him. I hope a jury sees through his bogus cold medicine defense and puts him away for life. JMO

 

[flourish]

123 stab wounds! How does someone even have the energy to thrust a knife into anything that many times, much less a human being that they have vowed to love and cherish...this man is an absolutely evil monster, and his family has hired one of the very best attorneys in NC to defend him. I hope a jury sees through his bogus cold medicine defense and puts him away for life. JMO

Anger and adrenaline?

 

[SteveP]

Anger and adrenaline?

That would be my guess, as I assume it is yours as well.

 

[flourish]

That would be my guess, as I assume it is yours as well.

Yes sorry I wasn't trying to be flippant. I was just thinking that's what would have to fuel something like that?

 

[Elainera]

Wow! Horrendous. Poor Lauren

This makes it much harder to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his nightmare/sleepwalking (or whatever he called it) defense.

 

[Owl4]

123 stab wounds?!!! Lock him up and throw away the key. I call BS on his claims of "to much cough medicine" He is nothing more than a damn murderer. Put him away.

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[Whiskers16]

Idk... part of me thinks the excessive number of stab wounds is consistent with his defense of being wacked out on meds. I envision him just stabbing mindlessly over and over. Of course that would still leave him responsible for her murder.

Another part of me is having trouble believing the number 123 or anything near it. Wasn't she still just barely alive when medics showed up? I just can't imagine that she survived more than a couple minutes with that much trauma. And especially if they did indeed find dried blood on his shirt or sheets. Can't recall off the top of my head.

 

[borndem]

123 stab wounds! How does someone even have the energy to thrust a knife into anything that many times, much less a human being that they have vowed to love and cherish...this man is an absolutely evil monster, and his family has hired one of the very best attorneys in NC to defend him. I hope a jury sees through his bogus cold medicine defense and puts him away for life. JMO

Well, the jury will be shown the autopsy pictures (over the assumed objection of the defense due to their being "inflamatory," and the objection is always denied, as we always see), and if any juror had any feeling or pity for this man, I'm thinking that pity would go out the window -- and the "cold medicine" alibi would be out that same window. With 123 stab wounds, where was she not stabbed?! I've never seen a case on here with that many stab wounds. I wonder what his parents are thinking... and his attorney...

One thing that this many wounds may do, however, is that the sheer amount of them could be used by the defense to show that that is what this drug o.d. did to him -- it made him go nuts -- wait & see...

 

[Sparkler789]

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article179347951.html

This article has more details.

 

[Elainera]

It says "slashed and stabbed", so it might not all be deep stab wounds. Probably all kinds of cuts and shallow wounds are included in the number. Not trying to minimize it, just trying to understand the report. Nevertheless, he went at her with that knife 123 times. Unbelievable. Just terrible.

 

[borndem]

Idk... part of me thinks the excessive number of stab wounds is consistent with his defense of being wacked out on meds. I envision him just stabbing mindlessly over and over. Of course that would still leave him responsible for her murder.

Another part of me is having trouble believing the number 123 or anything near it. Wasn't she still just barely alive when medics showed up? I just can't imagine that she survived more than a couple minutes with that much trauma. And especially if they did indeed find dried blood on his shirt or sheets. Can't recall off the top of my head.

My thoughts as well -- it could be a good defense -- we'll have to wait & see what the professionals -- on each side -- say about that may stab wounds/influence of the cough meds. This may be a tuff one. Six or seven stab wounds might sound like a more "normal" husband with a gripe or anger or frustration. And I am in no way trying to mitigate what he did -- he still did it, and could do it again, with or without Coricidin, IMO.

 

[Elainera]

I can't remember, did he get a psychological evaluation? And if not, will he get one?

 

[SteveP]

My thoughts as well -- it could be a good defense -- we'll have to wait & see what the professionals -- on each side -- say about that may stab wounds/influence of the cough meds. This may be a tuff one. Six or seven stab wounds might sound like a more "normal" husband with a gripe or anger or frustration. And I am in no way trying to mitigate what he did -- he still did it, and could do it again, with or without Coricidin, IMO.

My first thoughts were that, if the cold medicine was planned ahead of time to be the excuse, then when he killed her, he had the foresight to realize that if he really went for the "overkill", it would make the cold medicine defense more believable. JMO

 

[SteveP]

I can't remember, did he get a psychological evaluation? And if not, will he get one?

I would think the first thing his attorney would have done is call for one, but we may not hear anything about one until trial.

 

[borndem]

It says "slashed and stabbed", so it might not all be deep stab wounds. Probably all kinds of cuts and shallow wounds are included in the number. Not trying to minimize it, just trying to understand the report. Nevertheless, he went at her with that knife 123 times. Unbelievable. Just terrible.

Drugs or not, there had to be some kind of emotion on his part --anger, rage, jealousy? IMO, there had to be something that made him keep on attacking her besides the meds. Did she make him feel inferior just by her being so energetic and having plans for the future -- even though she didn't realize she was making him fell that way? Did she encourage him to find better employment? Was she just happy with life and he wasn't? There has to be more to it than cough medicine, IMO.

 

[borndem]

I can't remember, did he get a psychological evaluation? And if not, will he get one?

No idea, but I would think that Cheshire would get one whether he uses it or not. If it's helpful, he'd use it. jmo

 

[missjessica]

I totally think he did it on purpose. That 911 call!

But the "why"... I want to know the WHY!!!!!

 

[SteveP]

I totally think he did it on purpose. That 911 call!

But the "why"... I want to know the WHY!!!!!

My guess is the marriage was in serious trouble. She was very successful in her job at Quintiles, and had a side job, and had stated she wanted eventually to be a stay-at-home mom. He had lost his job and apparently was working for a lawn service and perhaps was or had been driving some for Uber. He seemed content to let her be the breadwinner and he may have wanted to be the only child in the relationship, and she may have been ready to kick him to the curb. JMO.



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[JLD333]

I don't know that I think she was going to leave him yet. She seems like she's a very committed person and very much wanted a family. I think she would've gone to great lengths to save the marriage. I could be wrong, she just doesn't strike me as the type to drop someone when they're down.

I do think MP resented that Lauren was so successful at BOTH of her jobs and he couldn't even be successful at one. I'm sure there was a lot of tension due to his employment issues and her wanting to have kids and stay at home.

I'm not 100% convinced the cold medicine didn't at least contribute to him acting out his anger towards her, but that doesn't mean he's not responsible even if it is the case. I wouldn't be shocked if he didn't call 911 right away but waited a few minutes to try to gather his thoughts, hence the explanation. If he was on cold medicine, I wouldn't really expect him to act like a sober person would. I still think he's guilty of murder, but I'm not so sure about first degree. I know that's not a popular opinion, but I want to see the evidence first.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out during the trial. I'm sure Joe Cheshire will put up a good fight on MP's behalf. I just pray at the end of it all there will be justice for Lauren and family.





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[Grouchymom]

[FONT=&quot]According to the coroner, Lauren had 24 stab wounds and 20 cuts to her neck and head and 13 stab wounds and 11 cuts to her torso.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]She had several defensive wounds, as well: There were 35 cuts and three stab wounds to her left arm, and 16 cuts and one stab wound on her right arm.[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]Search warrants turned up an empty box of Coricidin HBP Cold and Cough at the couple’s home. Other items taken from the residence included a knife block, bed sheets, receipts, credit cards and computers.[/FONT]

http://people.com/crime/cold-medicine-murder-husband-wife-stabbed-123-times-autopsy/

State pathologists documented 44 cuts and stabs, some more than four inches deep, about her head and neck during the attack, according to the autopsy report. Those were part of a total 123 stabs and cuts all over her body that were thought to have been made with a kitchen knife, the autopsy said.Matthew James Phelps, a 29-year-old Bible college graduate, is charged with first-degree murder and is currently being held in the Wake County jail without benefit of bail. Phelps called 911 just before 1:10 a.m. on Sept. 1 and described to a dispatcher that he had awakened to the bloody scene

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article179347951.html