New Britain woman in custody after stabbing

A 23-year-old who police said stabbed a woman this month in New Britain in what witnesses called an unprovoked attack is in custody as she awaits her next court appearance Nov. 2.

Jessica Rodriguez was charged with first-degree assault and disorderly conduct after the Oct. 11 attack. She is in custody at the York Correctional Institution on $25,000 bail, prison records show. Neither she nor her attorney could be reached for comment.

The victim was severely cut on her wrist when she raised her arms to protect her face during the attack, police said in a report. Police did not identify her in the report because she is a victim of family violence.

According to the report, the stabbing happened about 9:30 p.m. as family members and at least one visitor were grabbing slices of pizza. Children were in the home but were upstairs and did not witness the stabbing.

Rodriguez grabbed a black-handled kitchen knife and stabbed the victim, the report said. A man who told police he was visiting a family member struck Rodriguez in the head in an effort to get her to stop.

When police detained Rodriguez and asked her what led to the stabbing, she said she was being “bullied” and that it was an act of self-defense. She said a man in the home was “mocking” her and calling her ugly, as he has done in the past. Every time he does so, the victim takes his side and sometimes smacks her, the report said.

“Jessica stated that she responded to [his] ‘bullying’ by attempting to preemptively defend herself from being struck by [the] victim,” according to the report.

The victim told police she did not want to press charges and “wanted Jessica’s mental health issues to be addressed.”

Christine Dempsey may be reached at cdempsey@courant.com.