Thief River Falls, Pennington County (trfnews.i234.me) — A rural Thief River Falls woman waived a pretrial omnibus hearing Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Edwina Marie Stoutenburgh, 35, pleaded not guilty to two felony charges.
Charges filed
Stoutenburgh is charged with attempted second-degree murder without intent.
That charge is tied to Minn. Stat. § 609.19 and the attempt law.
Readers can review the attempt statute at Minn. Stat. § 609.17.
She is also charged with second-degree assault.
That charge is listed under Minn. Stat. § 609.222.
Court records say the attempted murder count can carry up to 20 years.
Court papers say state guidelines may suggest 12.5 to 20 years.
The range can change with criminal history.
The guidelines are published by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
What court papers allege
Stoutenburgh was arrested on July 20 after an alleged attack at the family home.
Investigators say a child had marks on the neck.
The child told deputies the mother tried to cut the child’s throat.
Deputies arrived and found children inside a vehicle at the driveway end.
The children appeared safe, according to the probable cause statement.
Stoutenburgh was outside the home when deputies arrived, the filing says.
She was detained and placed in handcuffs.
She allegedly told deputies not to remove the handcuffs.
The statement says she talked about “they” making her act.
Deputies later wrote she meant demons.
Hospital statements described in the filing
The statement says she was taken to an emergency room.
There, she allegedly described demons taking over that morning.
She allegedly said voices made her eat dog feces.
She also described eating a duck eyeball, the statement says.
The filing says the family had put down a sick duck the day before.
Deputies later reported a severed duck head on a cutting board.
Stoutenburgh allegedly told deputies she did not want to hurt her children.
She allegedly said voices pushed her to grab a knife.
She allegedly said she planned to kill the children first.
She allegedly said she planned to kill her husband next.
She allegedly said she planned to kill herself last.
The statement says the child was asleep during the first attempt.
Stoutenburgh allegedly said the knife was too dull.
She allegedly said the voices told her to sharpen it.
Court papers say the children became scared.
She allegedly told them she would kill them too.
She allegedly told them they had to leave.
Home search and next steps
The filing says her husband was at work during the incident.
He reportedly got a frantic call from his wife.
He then called law enforcement, the statement says.
After he arrived, he gave permission for a home search.
Deputies reported a bloodied spoon in the kitchen area.
They also reported a chef’s knife with apparent blood.
The case paused for a mental health evaluation.
An evaluation order was filed in December, court records show.
A report was filed Feb. 10, but it is not public.
Stoutenburgh remains in custody at the Pennington County Jail.
Her bond is $30,000 cash or $250,000 surety.
Her next hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 6.
Charges are allegations in a criminal complaint.
Stoutenburgh is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Case information may appear on Minnesota Court Records Online.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.