Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man tells police he killed wife during 'dream' after finding her dead on bedroom floor

He said he had taken cold medicine and 'woke up' to find his wife stabbed to death

Mythili Sampathkumar
New York
Wednesday 06 September 2017 05:09 EDT
Comments
A man in North Carolina called police and said he thinks he stabbed his wife to death in his sleep in their home
A man in North Carolina called police and said he thinks he stabbed his wife to death in his sleep in their home

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A North Carolina man called emergency services to report that he thinks he may have killed his wife in his sleep.

Matthew Phelps of Raleigh told a 911 dispatcher that he "had a dream and then I turned on the lights and she’s dead on the floor … I have blood all over me and there’s a bloody knife on the bed."

"I think I did it," said Mr Phelps during the seven-minute phone call in which he explained he had taken the cold medicine Coricidin for his trouble sleeping.

He believed he had accidentally killed his wife Lauren Ashley-Nicole Phelps in his sleep.

The dispatcher repeatedly asked Mr Phelps "How?"

“She’s not moving at all. Oh my God. She didn’t deserve this,” Mr Phelps cried.

A full police investigation is underway. Coricidin

Mr Phelps is currently being held in jail without bond and due to appear in a Raleigh court on 5 September.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in