Brandy Fontenaux Stabbed 74 Times by Fellow US Soldier Claiming 'Psychotic Break'
Brandy Fonteneaux, 28, was stabbed 74 times, an autopsy has revealed. A fellow United States soldier murdered Fonteneaux and now claims he suffered a psychotic break at the time.
In January, Fonteneaux was found naked and murdered in her Colorado barracks. Authorities announced that they were "investigating the death as a homicide," but refused to give further details. Now the public is learning what happened that fateful night, as Fonteneaux's killer is claiming temporary insanity and hoping to avoid jail time.
"I had to know. I had to see just what this man did to my daughter," Fonteneaux's mother, Verona, told MyFoxHouston.com. She read the full autopsy report and was astonished at the brutality of the murder.
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"It's disgusting, it's heartbreaking. I mean, it kept me in the bed for like four days," she said.
What the autopsy report revealed was harrowing. Fonteneaux was stabbed four times in the head and neck, 11 times in the chest, 16 times in the arms and legs and 43 times in the back, for a total of 74 stab wounds. Army Sgt. Vincinte Jackson faces court martial for the murder, but claims that he suffered a psychotic break.
"He stood by her bed, and he touched it. That's what startled her and woke her up," Verona explained. "And he just started stabbing her. She tried to break away, but [there were] too many wounds."
Now the family is asking for "life without parole," for Jackson, though his lawyers are arguing for leniency due to a psychological problem.
"She didn't deserve to go that way," Verona added. "If she'd been in Iraq or Afghanistan, I could've swallowed that with a golden nickel … walked with my head up high."
Jackson was arrested on January 20 and has been held by the military ever since. The court case is continuing, with no word yet on when he could be sentenced.
