Aspiring Pastor Accused Of Killing Wife In His Sleep, Tells 911 ‘I Think I Did It’ – 911 Audio Included
Matthew Phelps is accused of killing his wife Lauren Phelps after taking too much cough syrup before bed.
Matthew Phelps Says He Took Too Much Cough Syrup Before Killing Wife
Raleigh, NC – A man could face the death penalty in the murder of his wife after he admitted to a dispatcher that he thought he had killed his wife. He blamed his actions on taking too much cold medicine (911 audio below.)
Matthew Phelps, age 28, has been charged with one count of murder in the death of Lauren Phelps, age 29, according to ABC News.
The incident occurred on Friday morning, September 1, just after 1 AM, according to police, when Matthew Phelps called 911 and told a dispatcher, “I had a dream and then I turned on the lights and she’s dead on the floor. I have blood all over me and there’s a bloody knife on the bed. I think I did it. I can’t believe this.”
He also told the dispatcher, “I took more medicine than I should have, I took Coricidin Cough & Cold…a lot of times I can’t sleep at night.”
The 911 dispatcher then asked Matthew Phelps if the victim was awake, and he said, “She’s not breathing. Oh my God.”
The dispatcher then asked him if the victim was beyond help, and he said, “I don’t know. I’m too scared to get too close to her. … I’m so scared.” He then broke into sobs, and told the dispatcher “She didn’t deserve this”.
Matthew Phelps was arrested on Friday and had his first court appearance on Tuesday, where the judge told him he could be facing the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Raleigh police officers responded after the 911 call and found his wife, Lauren Phelps, with multiple stab wounds. She was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.
The couple married last November according to their Facebook pages, and their online albums were full of photos of them at their wedding, holding a dog, and goofing off for the camera. Some photos reflected their mutual love for Star Wars.
Matthew Phelps was an employee at a lawn service company, had studied missions and evangelism at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Kentucky, and was currently studying to be a pastor. Lauren Phelps was a Sunday School teacher.
Coricidin is a cold and cough medicine designed for people with high blood pressure. Bayer, the maker of Coricidin, “extended its deepest sympathies to the family”, and said that “there is no evidence to suggest that Coricidin is associated with violent behavior.”
The Raleigh Police Department has released the audio of the six and one-half minute 911 call, after redacting some information, and altered the caller’s voice.
