On Monday, January 20, 2020, West Chester police responded to a report of a stabbing of an unidentified man inside a Chester County home. Police arrived to find the man bleeding from stab wounds to his chest and the back of his head. The man identified a woman and told police she fled the residence following the incident. The man informed police that he met the woman online, however, the exact website they met on has not been released by authorities at this time. Sometime after the two met at the residence, the stabbing occurred, which police are calling a “domestic dispute.” Police have not identified the cause of the incident at this time. Following an investigation, the woman was taken into custody by Philadelphia Police the next morning and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, promoting prostitution, prohibited possession, and possessing an instrument of crime with intent. The man survived the incident and was taken to Paoli Hospital Trauma Center for treatment.
At this time, no charges have been filed against the man involved in the incident. Buying sex is a crime in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but little has been reported about the details leading up to the incident. While the man remains unidentified, with only his age reported, the woman has had her photo, age, and full name reported across multiple media outlets. Unfortunately, this is all too common in both police and media outlets’ response to this type of situation. Last year in Chester County, there was only one person charged with buying sex while the crime of prostitution was charged eleven times.
The CSE Institute does not condone violence and is truly sorry about this unidentified man’s alleged assault. Often times, however, these cases can be complex and require more investigation than it may seem at first. There is currently no reported information on what sparked the incident so it is important to reserve assumptions before we learn more about the incident. Self-defense has not been mentioned in any reported articles but it is critical to be mindful of that possibility.
A potentially relevant case here to think about it is the case of Cyntoia Brown. On August 7, 2019, Cyntoia Brown was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women after former Governor Bill Haslam commuted her sentence on January 7, 2019. In 2006, Brown was convicted of aggravated robbery and first-degree murder for killing a 43-year-old real estate agent after he solicited sex from her at a Sonic Drive-In in Nashville. Brown shot and killed the man after she perceived him to be reaching for a gun. Brown explained to police that she was protecting herself in a dangerous situation, but police alleged that Brown was robbing the man. Brown was ultimately convicted and sentence to life in prison over the killing. When Brown testified during her appeals process, she explained that she was a teenage runaway and involved in an abusive relationship at the time with a drug dealer known as “Cut Throat” who forced her into prostitution. While incarcerated, Brown earned her GED, finished a bachelor’s degree, and mentored at-risk youth. After her release, the National Women’s Law Center said, “we’re glad Cyntoia has finally been freed – but we must not forget that she never should have been in prison in the first place. We must continue to seek justice for survivors like her.”
No one should ever have to experience violence. We do wish, however, to be mindful of events that may have occurred leading up to this event. It is important to know the full extent of the parties involved before jumping to conclusions. The CSE Institute hopes that the District Attorney’s office will continue to investigate all relevant parties here before dismissing any relevant facts or circumstances that may have occurred leading up to this incident.