Facebook, text messages escalated to stabbing
Published 10:26 am Friday, September 16, 2011
FRANKLIN—Words over a guy exchanged between two teenage girls on Facebook and by text message escalated into a fight and stabbing of a 16-year-old Franklin girl.
That was the story victim Sarah Gray shared in Franklin General District Court Wednesday. Gray’s testimony convinced Judge William Moore there was enough evidence for the case against suspect Nikkol Wade to head to Southampton County Circuit Court. The 18-year-old from Windsor is accused of stabbing Gray after a fight in an alley behind the victim’s Norfleet Street home.
“This is a clear case of malicious wounding,” said Steven Bulger, an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for the county. “There is inference of a deadly weapon being used and there is permanent disfiguring.”
Wade’s attorney Richard Railey Jr. argued that the charge of malicious wounding with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill was not proved by the victim’s testimony.
“There was no evidence to suggest that,” Railey said.
Gray testified that she and Wade had been exchanging words electronically because Gray was hanging out with Wade’e former boyfriend.
“We got into an argument on Facebook and she threatened to get a hit man,” Gray testified.
On April 19, one of Gray’s neighbors told her another girl wanted to see Gray in the alley behind her Franklin home.
“I saw it was Nikkol,” Gray testified. “I asked what she was doing and she smiled. She got out of her car and I saw a knife in her pocket.”
Gray told the court she “threw the first punch,” and a fight followed.
The other girl “jumped on my back and was pulling my hair,” Gray testified.
After the fight ended, Gray walked toward her home and claimed that’s when Wade stabbed her.
“She sliced my arm,” Gray told the court. “I remember walking back to my back door and yelling for my mom to call an ambulance.”
Doctors put three layers of stitches in her arm, which has a 4- to-6 inch scar.
Franklin police said they found two knives at the scene and a large amount of blood.
Charges of assault and battery were dropped against Gray.