SILVER SPRING STABBER PLEADS GUILTY TO ATTEMPTED MURDER

Greenbelt, Maryland - James P. Davis, age 53, of Silver Spring, Maryland pleaded guilty today to attempted murder in connection with the stabbing of a woman in the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge in Laurel, Maryland, announced United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to the plea agreement, on May 9, 2007, Davis and the victim walked down a pathway into the refuge. To Davis, the victim seemed uninterested in their prior relationship. After the victim told Davis that a romantic relationship was impossible, Davis used a folding knife to stab the victim in the back of the neck. As the victim reached toward the wound, Davis stabbed the victim at the base of the victim’s throat. The victim fell to the ground and Davis dragged the victim about 100 feet down a walking path. Thereafter, two women saw Davis running, covered with blood. He told them someone had been hurt and pointed toward the area where he had left the victim. The women pointed out a refuge officer, who had just driven nearby, to Davis. Davis pointed the officer in the victim’s direction. The victim was found in a pool of blood. By this time, Davis had fled. Prince George’s County Police and the FBI arrested Davis later than evening.

Davis faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. has scheduled sentencing for January 8, 2008, at 9:30 a..m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Prince George’s County Police for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Hollis R. Weisman, who is prosecuting the case.