Jury Trial Begins For Woman Accused Of Stabbing Man, Neglecting Children
By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Two witnesses testified during the first day of a three-day jury trial for a Pierceton woman accused of stabbing a man and burning a stuffed animal next to a young child.
Autumn B. Stahl, 34, 4722 E. Old Road 30, Pierceton, is charged with aggravated battery and attempted aggravated battery, both level 3 felonies; battery by means of a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony; two counts of neglect of a dependent, both level 6 felonies; and domestic battery committed in the presence of a child, a level 6 felony.
Stahl is being represented by Nicholas Wallace, Fort Wayne. The state’s case is being presented by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Sobek.
In Indiana, a Level 3 felony is punishable by three to 16 years in prison, with an advisory sentence of nine years.
Affidavit of Probable Cause
On Aug. 1, 2020, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a stabbing report at a Silver Lake residence. Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with a man who had been stabbed and bitten. The deputy also noted a strong odor of gas in the home.
According to court documents, the man said he went to the home to check on the children. While giving several of the children a bath, the man smelled something burning. When he went to investigate the smell, the man allegedly saw Stahl burning a stuffed animal on a bed while holding an infant. The man then threw the stuffed animal outside.
After throwing the stuffed animal outside, the man went back into the home and saw Stahl turning on the oven and gas stove burners in an apparent attempt to fill the home with gas.
At that point, the man tried to remove the infant from Stahl’s presence to prevent the child from being harmed. During the struggle, Stahl allegedly picked up a knife, stabbed the man’s neck and bit him several times. According to the man, at one point, Stahl held the child’s mouth open with her thumb while putting water down the child’s throat by holding them under a faucet.
A man at a neighboring residence heard the altercation and responded to provide assistance. He also saw Stahl with her fingers down the child’s throat.
During the investigation, it was determined that four other children, in addition to the child Stahl was holding, were in the home at the time.
Trial Proceedings
Seven men and five women were seated on the jury in Kosciusko Superior Court One shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, with Judge Karin McGrath presiding. One alternate juror has also been seated.
In his opening statement, Sobek focused on details listed within the affidavit of probable cause, and Stahl’s connection to the man who was stabbed. Stahl and the man had been in a relationship from 2017 up until the time of the August 2020 incident and they have three young children together.
Sobek also discussed the importance of the jury proving Stahl’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
“I am confident that the state will meet its burden of proving that Autumn Stahl knowingly and intentionally committed these acts,” said Sobek.
Wallace encouraged the jury to keep an open mind during his opening statement while focusing on mental health, arguing the events of Aug. 1, 2020, were the result of a mental health crisis Stahl had. He said a psychologist and psychiatrist both determined Stahl suffered from a mental health incident when these events occurred.
“If a defendant is unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of their conduct, then you must return a verdict of not guilty,” said Wallace.
Sobek then began the state’s case by calling the man who was allegedly stabbed by Stahl for testimony.
The man said he met Stahl through social media, sending her a friend request on Facebook. This interaction led to the man and Stahl dating and having three children together.
When asked to provide descriptors of Stahl, the man described her as “very clingy and attached. It was very unusual to me.”
He also described their relationship as “challenging” and “isolating,” telling the jury he and Stahl frequently argued. The man said his relationship with Stahl also severely impacted his relationships and friendships with others.
The man said he was arrested and convicted in 2018 after battering Stahl. He described the incident to Sobek as “grabbing her by the arms” to remove Stahl from a room in order to give himself space. He received one year on probation.
In 2019, the man said additional battery charges were filed by Stahl against him. The man said he was unaware charges had even been filed until a relative told him he was in Kosciusko County’s Most Wanted.
The man described Stahl’s overall behavior as “like a pinball.” When asked why he stayed in a relationship with Stahl, the man said he stayed for the children’s sake.
He noted the night prior to Aug. 1, 2020, Stahl was acting “strange, frantic, and aggressive.” The man said he and Stahl, who formerly cohabitated, had been living in separate residences about two weeks before the incident occurred.
The man then recalled details from Aug. 1, 2020. He said he went to a home in Silver Lake to check on his children and then entered the residence to help Stahl bathe their children. The man witnessed Stahl burn a stuffed animal while singing and rocking back and forth, holding their youngest child in her arms. He also said Stahl stuck her fingers in their child’s mouth while placing them underneath a faucet with running water.
As the man attempted to lower Stahl to the ground and put her in a “sleeper-type” hold, Stahl grabbed a knife and stabbed the left side of the man’s neck. She also bit the man’s arm three times. After the stabbing, the man yelled outside for help, and neighbors assisted with subduing Stahl and getting the five children out of the house.
The man said he and his youngest child were taken to a local hospital after the incident. Multiple photos of the man’s injuries, the knife allegedly used by Stahl, and the burnt stuffed animal were submitted as evidence to the jury.
In cross-examination, Wallace questioned the man’s statements about his prior criminal history involving Stahl. He focused on the 2019 case, stating the man entered a pre-trial diversion agreement, which currently remains active. Wallace also showed the man’s affidavit of probable cause from the 2018 battery, which states the man broke Stahl’s phone and pushed her to the ground twice. When asked if his injuries were life-threatening, the man said he did not suffer from any internal bleeding after being stabbed.
The state’s second witness was Jason Robertson, who was at a nearby residence when he heard the man screaming for help. Robertson also described himself as the man’s friend.
Robertson said he was at a nearby home when he heard the man yell for help. Robertson entered the home where the incident occurred and retrieved the young child from Stahl. He told the jury he also saw Stahl sticking her fingers down the child’s throat.
The trial will continue at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, with more witnesses scheduled to testify.