GILLETTE– A 24-year-old North Dakota woman is charged with attempted second-degree murder after Campbell County Sheriff investigators claim she stabbed a man in the neck with a knife after he refused to pass her the meth pipe as they drove through Campbell County on their way to Las Vegas.
LaShanda Lynne LaFontaine of New Town, North Dakota, appeared before Judge Paul Phillips in Campbell County Circuit Court on Monday.
LaFontaine told Judge Phillips, speaking softly and using “yes” and “no” answers, that she understood the alleged crimes against her.
LaFontaine is charged with one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of felony aggravated assault and battery. If found guilty, she could face up to life in prison plus ten years, a $20,000 fine, or both.
She is currently being held in the Campbell County Detention Center under a $250,000 cash or commercial surety bond.
Stabbed at the neck
LaFontaine was traveling from North Dakota in a 2018 Toyota Highlander with three other passengers: Sonja Mae Fox, Christopher Ezkiel Echola-Linder, and Effren Velazquez-Rodriguez, the driver who was her alleged victim.
The foursome left north Dakota. According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case, the group traveled to Las Vegas on Thursday evening to have “some fun” because Velazquez-Rodriguez had just been paid and offered to pay for the trip for everyone.
According to the affidavit, the group stopped at a McDonald’s for breakfast around 7:30 a.m. on Friday and allegedly smoked methamphetamine and fentanyl pills afterwards.
As the vehicle traveled east of the Iberlin Ranch airport on Highway 387 toward Casper, LaFontaine, who was seated in the right-rear passenger seat, allegedly pulled out a folding knife and stabbed Velazquez-Rodriguez twice in the lower right neck and clavicle area, about three inches deep.
Echola-Linder, who was seated next to LaFontaine in the back seat, grabbed the knife and threw it on the front passenger floorboard while holding LaFontaine back and applying pressure to Velazquez-Rodriguez’s neck, according to court documents.
Velazquez-Rodriguez was able to pull the vehicle over and switch seats with Fox, who continued driving while calling 911 around 7:45 a.m. A Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper caught up with the vehicle and requested a Life-Flight helicopter to transport Velazquez-Rodriguez to a Casper hospital.
The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office initially took over the investigation until it was determined that the 911 call was made in Campbell County.
After being released from surgery, Velazquez-Rodriguez was interviewed by deputies through a translator.
Wrong sandwich
Echola-Linder told investigators that LaFontaine had been “acting weird” since the beginning of the trip after being invited, though she appeared fine until she smoked the methamphetamine and began accusing others in the group of “not being who they said they were,” according to the affidavit.
He also stated that he had no idea where she obtained the knife before suddenly opening it and allegedly stabbing Velazquez-Rodriguez in the neck.
When interviewed by investigators, LaFontaine claimed to be “bipolar” and heard voices, but she couldn’t remember what the voices said or when she last heard them, according to court documents.
LaFontaine later explained that she was upset with Velazquez-Rodriguez because he had ordered her the “wrong sandwich” at McDonald’s, though she claimed he switched the order after she informed him of his error.
According to the affidavit, when asked what made her angry enough to stab Velazquez-Rodriguez, LaFontaine stated that she was enraged because he refused to pass the methamphetamine pipe.
“He denied me the bowl,” she allegedly told investigators.
Acting out of ‘stupidity’
During her interview, when asked about the gravity of her actions, LaFontaine admitted that they were “dangerous, reckless, and careless” and that she had acted out of “stupidity,” according to court documents.
She wrote an apology letter to Velazquez-Rodriguez, asking for his forgiveness and admitting that her actions were her “biggest regret.”
