A young man charged with a brutal stabbing attack at Service High School in 2009, faced a judge Friday morning to plead guilty to attempted murder in the first degree and third-degree assault.
Nicholas Chamberlain is accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend, Lori Miebs, 29 times on school grounds. Police say he led her into the woods, promising a surprise, but then attacked her, stabbing her repeatedly with a small knife. He stopped once to change out a bent blade. The attack ended when bystanders came to her aid.
On Friday, nearly three years after the crime, Miebs sat in court surrounded by her family. Assistant Attorney General Clint Campion said it was the first time she had seen her attacker in at least a couple of years. The change of plea means the case will not go to trial. Afterward, Miebs said she was very happy Chamberlain pleaded guilty.
"It's significant because not only did Mr. Chamberlain accept responsibility, but the victims were present today along with their family members and to a certain extent it provides some closure to them," said Campion. "They don't have to worry about a trial, there's a certain amount of anxiety about having to go through that."
Two counts were dismissed- assault in the first degree and tampering with physical evidence. The other counts Chamberlain faced were consolidated into one charge of assault in the third degree. His sentencing is scheduled for January. Chamberlain faces up to 99 years in prison for the first-degree attempted murder charge and five years for third-degree assault.
The day the gruesome attack happened, students at Service were caught up in chaos. Cody Beltrami, who was a senior that year, says every student who had a cell phone, was on it, relaying information back to parents.
"It was just pretty hectic, lots of cop cars coming in and out, ambulances were there and nobody really knew what was going on," said Beltrami. She says Chamberlain and Miebs seemed like they had a "normal high school relationship" and students at the school were shocked when they heard about the attack.
"I just didn't think I'd wake up one day and remember that day because a girl at my high school got stabbed," Beltrami said.
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