St. Paul woman faces murder charge for stabbing boyfriend

A St. Paul woman stabbed her long-time boyfriend in the chest while her four young children were in the home, according to charges filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court.

Natalie Jonelle Pollard, 33, faces second degree murder charges.

St. Paul police last week identified the man as 30-year-old Obinna Udo Nwankpa. He died in the early morning hours of July 2 after the incident at the home on the 600 block of Burr Street.

The complaint said Pollard initially called police reporting a break-in by her boyfriend who was locked in the basement with a knife.

When officers arrived, they found Nwankpa face down and unconscious with an apparent stab wound to the chest, according to the complaint. He was transported to Regions Hospital where he died.

At first, Pollard said she didn't know how Nwankpa was stabbed.

The complaint said Pollard initially told police Nwankpa left earlier in the day with a bottle of vodka and came back drunk when they went downstairs to grab his belongings. At that point she said he had a knife and they began to fight.

She later told police that she left the door unlocked for him around 12:30 a.m. but when he came back and was being loud, he woke her up. After an argument, she asked him to leave and locked the door behind him, according to the complaint.

At about 4 a.m., she told police she heard him remove the screen and unlock the door through the window. She said she let him get to the basement to get his stuff but he hit her in the face. Police said they didn't find any signs she was hit.

Pollard told police they were "tussling" while Nwankpa had the knife.

"She demonstrated that she was able to turn the knife in his hand and point the blade toward his chest," according to the complaint. "He was kneeling on top of her. She rolled to her side and he fell off of her."

Pollard told police she ran upstairs and Nwankpa ran after her, the complaint said. She held the door with her foot and called 911 with help from her 9-year-old daughter.

A police officer who attended the autopsy said Nwankpa had a wound near his right eye and on the back side of his left hand. The office said the injuries were consistent with "someone holding the left arm up in a defensive position while the wound was inflicted," according to the complaint.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner determined Nwankpa died from severe blood loss due to a stab wound to the chest and deemed the manner of death a homicide.

Pollard faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.