(5/28/2018) Monroe Police say a woman is in critical condition after they say she was attacked by another woman who used a hammer and a knife. Family identify the victim 28-year-old Jessica Benjamin, a mother to five children.
The family also tells NBC 10 that Jessica was stabbed at least 30 times during the attack. They say the attacker is the girlfriend of the father of Jessica’s children.
Jessica’s aunt, Rebecca Benjamin, commends the Monroe Police officers on the scene. She says after they secured the suspect, they covered the children’s eyes so they wouldn’t be further traumatized by the crime scene.
Police say the suspect, 21-year-old Jalaysia Pleasant, is now under arrest and charged with Second Degree Attempted Murder.
Police say at 1:18 a.m this morning, they were called to the 300 block of Oregon Trail. The caller said a woman was being attacked with a hammer.
When officers arrived, a witness pointed at the suspect, Jalaysia Pleasant. Police say Pleasant ran west between two houses. They say she was holding both a hammer and a knife. When officer caught up to her in a nearby field, they say they recovered both weapons, and Pleasant was arrested.
Officers also found the victim laying in front of the front door of one of the homes on Oregon Trail. She was airlifted to LSU Shreveport. Her injuries included several lacerations and blunt force trauma. She is listed in critical condition at this time.
A witness told police they heard a woman banging on the door, screaming for help. The witness says when they came outside to see what was happening, they saw Pleasant on top of the victim, and Pleasant was hitting the victim with both a hammer and a knife. The witness says Pleasant continued attacking the victim until police arrived.
After Pleasant was read her Miranda rights, officers say Pleasant stated she came to a home on Oregon Trail to fight the victim. When the victim opened the door, Pleasant stated she punched the victim in the face. Pleasant says the victim grabbed a knife, and she grabbed a hammer. Police say Pleasant stated she was able to get both weapons at some point during the fight inside the house.
Officers say Pleasant hit the victim several times with the hammer inside the home. Pleasant says when the victim opened the garage door, and tried to escape. Police say the suspect stated the victim ran across the street and she chased her. Police report Pleasant said the victim fell to the ground in front of the front door, and she continued to hit her with the hammer until police arrived.
Pleasant is charged with Attempted Second Degree Murder. At this time, her mugshot is not on the OPSO booking website. When it is updated, or we receive the mugshot from police, we will update the story.
