Woman stabbed 8 times in fight over returning engagement ring, deputies say
TAMPA — A 31-year-old Town ‘N’ Country man stabbed his fiancee in the abdomen eight times after they argued about breaking up and returning the engagement ring, deputies said.
Armando Lagares II faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon involving great bodily harm and possession of synthetic marijuana in connection with the attack at 3:30 a.m. Dec. 18. The 23-year-old victim required surgery because of injuries to her lungs and colon and was still hospitalized two weeks after the attack, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Lagares used a kitchen knife in the attack, the affidavit said.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Lagares’ cellphone, telling a judge they believe that calls and text messages would provide details about an exchange of angry words between Lagares and his fiancee that lasted all day Dec. 17.
Lagares denied stabbing the woman and told investigators he went to her home after she called him for help, the affidavit said.
Lagares was arrested in Pinellas County 18 hours after the attack, jail records show. He was being held in lieu of $15,000 bail at the Pinellas County Jail.
In May 2018, Lagares punched his then-girlfriend in the face as many as 10 times, breaking her nose, according to an arrest report. They had been dating four months. He was sentenced to four months in jail.
A judge issued an injunction against him the following year, ordering him to stay away from the woman’s home.
