Man charged after waking from 'dream' to wife's bloody body
A man who claimed he had woken from a dream to find his wife's bloodied body on the floor next to their bed has been charged with her murder.
Matthew Phelps, 28, called emergency services in North Carolina to report his 29-year-old wife's death, with the transcript of the call now released, the Miami Herald reports.
Phelps is heard speaking with the operator and says "I think I killed my...".
The operator, sounding confused, asks him "how" and "what happened?".
"I had a dream and then I turned on the lights and she's dead on the floor... there's blood all over me and there's a bloody knife on the bed. I think I did it."
Phelps was charged with murder of his wife, Lauren Ashley-Nicole Phelps, the next morning.
Strong dose of cold medicine blamed for actions
“There’s blood all over me, and there’s a bloody knife on the bed. I think I did it," Phelps is heard telling the operator.
“OK,” the dispatcher said after a long pause, then told Phelps to stay on the phone.
“I can’t believe I did this,” Phelps said. “I can’t believe I did this.”
He told the operator of his wife's condition - that she was not breathing and he didn't know if she was beyond help - and then said he had taken cold medicine and didn't know what time it was.
“I took more medicine than I should have. I took Coricidin Cough and Cold because I know it can make you feel good and sometimes I can’t sleep at night.”
Phelps later told the dispatcher the blood he had on him was dried.
“Oh my God,” Phelps said. “Oh God. She didn’t deserve this. Why?”
Lauren was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead, Hourigan reported.
According to Facebook, Phelps worked at Dunlap Lawn Service and had studied evangelism.
Tributes have flooded in for 29-year-old Lauren.
She's described as a "superstar", "sweet", "kind", "loving" and "bubbly".
