ONLY IN ST. PETE: Woman Stabs Boyfriend Multiple Times over “American Idol” Dispute

In another “only in St. Pete type of case,” the St. Petersburg Police Department said that a St. Petersburg woman took a TV dispute too far Tuesday night when she stabbed and scalded her boyfriend over American Idol. According to the St. Pete Times, this is what happened:

Police arrested Cynthia E. Bettis-Ware, 52, on a charge of First-Degree Attempted Murder of her boyfriend Kevin Johnson, 47.It happened at 11:22 p.m. at the infamous Empress Motel, 1501 Martin Luther King St. N, which the couple listed as their “permanent address,” said police spokeswoman Jennifer Dawkins.

The couple were watching American Idol when they began arguing over something that happened on the show, Dawkins said. He changed the channel to stop the argument, Dawkins said, but she kept arguing so “he decided, ‘Well, I’ll go to bed.”’

He awoke to Bettis-Ware wielding a 10-inch butcher knife. She stabbed him five (5) times in the back and two (2) times in the chest, an arrest affidavit states. Police said she also severely burned Johnson with hot cocoa.Johnson took the knife from her and ran to the motel parking lot, Dawkins said. Bettis-Ware chased after him with another knife, she said.

Soon a crowd formed and someone called police, who arrested Bettis-Ware in her motel room. She was being held without bail in the Pinellas County jail Wednesday.

According to a report on BayNews9, Johnson is still in the hospital with non life-threatening injuries
As always, the Clearwater-based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. strives to find interesting and humurous stories that touch upon our local criminal justice system. Stay tuned for further updates on the “American Idol Stabbing Case” as it progresses through the Pinellas County court system.

On a more serious note, if you or a loved one has been charged with a Crime of Violence, former State of Florida Prosecutor Nicholas J. Dorsten, Esq., of the Blake & Dorsten, P.A., is on your side.

To set up a FREE consultation to discuss your case, please contact the Blake & Dorsten, P.A. at 727.286.6141. You can also email us at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Nicholas J. Dorsten, Esq.
Blake & Dorsten, P.A., LLC www.blakedorstenlaw.com

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