Bristol man charged in stabbing

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) - Police in Cranston were called to 221 Garden street early Saturday morning for reports of a disturbance and ended up investigating a stabbing.

Just after 2 a.m. police arrived in Cranston to find 21-year-old Andrea Wilmot lying in the driveway with multiple stab wounds. Police then immediately rushed her to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment, with injuries described as non-life threatening.

Police on scene began their investigation and identified an estranged acquaintance of Wilmot's as the attacker with whom she had a previous relationship.

(Update: contrary to initial police reports, family members later said Wilmot was never involved with Amaral, though he had pursued her.)

She told police his name was Christopher Amaral and he lived in Bristol.

Wilmot said she had been at Twin River with her sister and boyfriend Friday evening and left only to find her car vandalized. She immediately suspected Amaral as the suspect because she told police he had been calling her all night long.

Upon arriving home in Cranston just after 2 early Saturday morning, Wilmot said she was attacked from behind by Amaral as she got out of her car.

She told police Amaral initially just wanted to speak with her, but after she refused she said he violently attacked her and stabbed her repeatedly with an unknown object and then fled the scene.

From the attack, Wilmot suffered stab wounds to her arms, chest, shoulders and neck. The injury to her neck also harmed one of her vertebrae in the attack.

Amaral was later arrested by Bristol Police on Route 136 and handed over to police in Cranston.

He is now being charged with assault with the intent to commit murder and is scheduled to go before a bail commissioner Saturday afternoon in Cranston.