Grand Forks woman, accused of strangling mother with purse strap, pleads not guilty
May 13—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks woman accused of attempting to murder her mother waived her Monday morning, May 13, preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to two felony charges.
Brianna Lynn Thomas, 20, faces up to 20 years in prison for Class A felony attempted murder. She is also charged with Class C felony domestic violence causing serious bodily injury.
Thomas was arrested on March 31
after law enforcement was dispatched to a reported domestic dispute, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
She allegedly threw a drink at her mother, which caused both their clothes to be wet. Thomas then climbed into the rear seat of the vehicle to look for a change of clothing and the mother felt what she believed was a phone charging cord around her neck, pulled tight to strangle her, the affidavit said.
The mother told police she couldn't remove the cord from her neck, couldn't breathe and her body was twitching when the cord broke.
Police observed a thin red mark on the mother's neck, consistent with strangling. In the rear of the vehicle, a purse with a broken shoulder strap — matching the mother's injury — was found.
Thomas is scheduled for a bond review hearing at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 17. She's currently being held on a $20,000 cash or surety bond.
Her final dispositional conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 8.
