A Juneau man who was stabbed could have died, had he not received immediate treatment. The man’s girlfriend allegedly stabbed him with a kitchen knife during a domestic disturbance.
On Thursday, a grand jury indicted 40-year-old Melanie C. Whalen on felony first-degree assault. According to the Juneau Police Department’s criminal complaint, she’s accused of stabbing her boyfriend, Larry Gilfillan.
Police say shortly after 3 a.m. Feb. 3, a male caller reported the couple fighting in the apartment directly above his in the 300 block of Gastineau Avenue.
The caller said he could hear the man say, “Quit stabbing me,” and referring to a knife. When police arrived, the man opened the door to the apartment and was holding a bloody towel to his midsection.
Authorities later identified the male victim as 28-year-old Gilfillan. Whalen was in the apartment, as well. Police say Gilfillan suffered a stab wound to his upper left arm and a 3-inch vertical one to his torso.
A police sergeant took an initial statement from Gilfillan, who said he didn’t want to get Whalen in trouble, and that he “didn’t want to die.”
An officer rode with Gilfillan in an ambulance to Bartlett Regional Hospital. Gilfillan told the officer
- they’d been together for about six months;
- they had started fighting about midnight; and
- Whalen accused him of stealing from her and cheating on her.
A doctor at Bartlett told the officer that Gilfillan was lucky to be alive. The knife had penetrated his liver. The doctor told police that Gilfillan could be at risk of future disability, and would need surgery to repair his liver and abdomen.
Police also interviewed Whalen, who said she could not remember what had happened. Online court records say the Public Defender Agency is representing Whalen.
