Attempted Murder Charged After Woman, 21, Defends Self From Knife Attack In Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — A judge ordered an Evanston man to remain jailed while awaiting trial for allegedly trying to kill a 21-year-old woman.

Andrew White, 39, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon over an incident that took place Monday at an apartment he shares with his partner's family.

White, who works driving for a ride-booking app, appeared to be heavily intoxicated when he returned from work in the early morning hours and began fighting with the other residents of his home, the judge was told Wednesday at his detention hearing in Skokie.

Assistant State's Attorney Collin DeBrabander said witnesses heard White repeatedly threaten to kill his partner and their family member, who he is accused of trying to kill.

White first tackled the woman he allegedly tried to kill to the ground and beat her with a rolling pin, DeBrabander said. She then bit him and escaped into the bathroom until she believed White had calmed down.

But later that morning, as the woman was getting ready for work in her bedroom, White forced his way inside, shut the door behind and confronted her brandishing two long, thin knives, the prosecutor said.

White reportedly said something to the effect of, "What are you going to do now?" to which the 21-year-old responded that she did not know, but he was "not going to stab her," according to DeBrabander.

The two began struggling over the knives, and the woman suffered serious wounds to her hands, required more than a dozen stitches to her hands that may result in permanent injuries, the charges allege.

Assistant Public Defender Vanessa Ficaro said prosecutors had not presented any evidence that White had cut the woman intentionally.

"Mr. White was not attempting to stab her with the knife. There was a struggle over the knife," Ficaro said. "Mr. White does maintain that he believed he was being attacked, and that [the woman] was biting him on the face and the chin and that [his partner] was pouring water over his head at the time, and there was a struggle."

Police reported White had blood on his hands and cuts on his palm. He and the woman he is charged with trying to kill were both taken to hospital to be treated.

DeBrabander said authorities believe White intended to kill the woman when he entered her bedroom.

"Victim at that point did believe that she was in danger of being killed, and when the defendant dropped a knife there was a struggle over that knife," he said. "Judge, this was charged as attempted murder because the state believes, and the victim believed, that that was the defendant's intention at that time."

Cook County Associate Judge Sharon Kanter determined that White posed too much of a "real and present threat" to be released while awaiting trial on charges that could land him in prison for decades, pointing out that he has allegedly used three deadly weapons in the incident.

"[White] attacked this victim with not only a rolling pin," the judge said, "but also entered her room with not just one knife, but two knives and proceeded to have stabbed the victim in the hand while she was defending herself."