Court documents have revealed new details about a violent incident in Fargo that left one man hospitalized and his girlfriend facing attempted murder charges. On September 5, police were dispatched to the 700 block of 14th Street North around 5:30 a.m. after receiving a call from a man who said he had been attacked with a weapon.
When officers arrived, the victim told them he was alone at the time of the assault and had been struck without warning. He was immediately transported to the emergency room. Investigators later learned from another man at the residence that the attacker was the victim’s girlfriend, Lena Deoliveira.
The witness told Fargo’s Adult Violent Crimes Unit that he awoke to the sound of the victim screaming. He said he saw Deoliveira behind the victim with a hatchet in hand. According to his account, she struck the victim before fleeing the scene.
Police located a blood trail in the attached garage where the victim, Deoliveira, and the witness had been staying. Photographs taken afterward showed the victim’s head with a large slice, as well as deep lacerations to his fingers. Doctors reported that he required surgery on his hand and confirmed serious injuries, including fingers that were “missing or kind of hanging,” according to court filings.
The witness later told investigators that he saw Deoliveira swing the hatchet downward but could not see the exact point of impact. He described hearing a sound “like splitting wood” as the weapon struck. He added that Deoliveira appeared “out of it” before the attack but seemed to regain awareness after hearing the click of a couch footrest and seeing the blood.
Deoliveira was arrested two days later, on September 7, in Moorhead, Minnesota. During questioning, she requested an attorney and provided no statement to police, according to the report. She was formally charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault and made her first appearance in Cass County court on September 12.
Her next court date is scheduled for October 16. The case has unsettled neighbors in the area, who awoke to the early-morning police response and later learned of the gruesome details. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances leading up to the attack, though court documents suggest the assault was sudden and unprovoked.
If convicted of attempted murder, Deoliveira faces a lengthy prison sentence. For now, she remains in custody awaiting trial as prosecutors prepare their case against her.