Daytona woman found dead after fight with domestic partner over text messages, report says
Daytona Beach Police said a woman found unresponsive in an apartment early Thursday was stabbed to death by her live-in domestic partner in an argument over text messages.
Police were stopped at the Wawa at 1000 Mason Ave. at 1:13 a.m. by Jasmine Baker, 24, who said she had a fight with her partner, Kristen C. Phillips, 23, at their apartment at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Baker said she cut Phillips with a knife, an arrest report states.
Baker was charged with second-degree murder and was being held Thursday at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bail.
Officers responded to the apartment at 303 East Sutton Circle where they found Phillips unresponsive facedown in the living room. Paramedics pronounced her dead at 1:47 a.m., police said.
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Argument over text messages
Baker told police that she and Phillips had a romantic relationship. But after Phillips recently moved in with her, the relationship deteriorated, a report said.
Baker said she and Phillips were recently arguing over text messages and that she wanted to kick her out, police said.
Police were called three times Wednesday before the death, the report shows.
Baker called police at 1:35 p.m. Wednesday to report a verbal fight with Phillips. Then at 5:57 p.m. Baker called police asking for help to remove Phillips from the apartment, investigators said.
In a third call at 7:44 p.m., Baker for a second time asked police to remove Phillips from her apartment, the report noted.
Later Wednesday, Baker said she left the apartment and went to visit a friend in the 400 block of Pleasant Street. While there, Phillips arrived and started arguing with Baker, so they drove home, police said.
7 to 8 stab wounds
At the Sutton Circle apartment, the argument continued, according to Baker, and when she tried to leave, Phillips prevented her, investigators wrote in their report.
Baker said she then grabbed a large kitchen knife and started to cut out the screen from a second-floor window so she could jump out, police said.
Baker claimed as she was cutting the screen, Phillips approached her and said "let me help you," and that's when she turned around and slashed Phillips in the neck once, the report said.
The accused told police she then returned to her friend's home on Pleasant Street, and later met police at the gas station.
Police spoke to a witness who reported that Baker told her the pair fought at the apartment, and when Phillips tried to pull her back, she stabbed her.
"The statement provided by the witness directly contradicted the defendant's statement about the victim attempting to push her out of the apartment instead of pulling her back in," police wrote in their report.
Baker told police she only cut Phillips once in the neck but investigators found Phillips with seven to eight significant stab wounds to the chest, neck and face, police said.
The death investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to please call the Criminal Investigations Division at 386-671-5202.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida woman found dead after fight with domestic partner
