Tewksbury Woman Stabbed 18 Times With Broken Beer Bottle

TEWKSBURY, MA — Police still don't know the identity of a man accused of stabbing a woman 18 times with a broken beer bottle when she tried to escape from his apartment Monday morning after being held against her will. Prosecutors arraigned the man under the name John Doe, aka Luis Hernandez, saying he had stolen the identity of a Puerto Rican man. Doe was ordered held without bail following his arraignment Tuesday afternoon.

Police were called to the Tewksbury Funeral Home Monday morning, where the man's ex-girlfriend lived in an apartment on the upper floor of the business. Prosecutors said the man had shown up Sunday night and forced the woman to sleep next to him. He threatened to kill her with a steak knife.

On Monday morning, the woman tried to escape. Doe caught up with her on the porch of the funeral home, according to court records, a smashed a beer bottle on her head. The bottle broke, and he repeatedly stabbed her in the back, neck, arms, chest and torso while yelling he was going to kill her.

After a neighbor called 911, police found the man in the bedroom of the apartment drinking a beer, his hand covered in blood. During a search of the apartment, police found what is believed to be cocaine. The victim sustained 18 stab wounds and has injuries that were described as permanently disfiguring by a plastic surgeon consulting on the case.

Doe was charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, mayhem, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, intimidating a witness, impeding a police investigation, possessing/using a false RMV document, identity fraud, furnishing a false ID to law enforcement, and assault and battery on a family/household member. He is due back in court for a probable cause hearing Friday.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).