ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — Police continue to investigate a violent altercation at an Attleboro apartment that resulted in the death of one woman and the arrest of another.
No one has been charged yet with stabbing Kimberly Duphily, 28, who later died from her injuries at the hospital.
But Kayla Cantu, 20, was arraigned Monday on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after prosecutors say she slashed Duphily’s husband in the face with a knife as he approached the two women who were fighting Friday afternoon outside their Leroy Street apartment.
Assistant District Attorney Jason Mohan told the court the fight was “allegedly over stolen money and drugs.”
Cantu eventually ran off and encountered a police officer working detail on Bicknell Street, whom she told she had been stabbed, according to Mohan.
When first responders arrived at the apartment, they found Duphily’s husband and others rendering aid to Duphily, who had been stabbed twice. She was rushed to Sturdy Memorial Hospital along with her husband and Cantu.
Cantu did suffer knife wounds to her hands that required stitches, Mohan said, but he told the court that was likely due to the knife slipping in her hand.
Cantu’s defense attorney asserted that she was the victim of a stabbing and had cooperated with police following the incident.
The knife used in the stabbing is now being tested at the Massachusetts State Police Laboratory and additional charges could be filed pending those results.
Cantu was ordered held on $25,000 bail, and also held without bail for up to 60 days after a bail revocation motion was allowed by the court. The Bristol County District Attorney’s office said she was previously out on bail in a separate assault case.
Cantu’s lawyer pleaded for lower bail, not only arguing her innocence, but also saying her brother died recently and his wake was being held Monday night. The judge ultimately denied the request due to probation violations.
