Sacred Heart man faces attempted murder charge

SACRED HEART -- A Sacred Heart man faces charges including second-degree attempted murder - with intent but not premeditated after he allegedly grabbed a woman by her neck and put a knife toward it while asking her if she wanted to die.

Jose Felix Barajas, 45, is currently held in the Renville County Jail awaiting a Nov. 3 court appearance. The court set bail at $200,000 unconditional and $100,000 conditional during his arraignment on Aug. 25 in District Court in Olivia.

He is charged with second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and domestic assault by strangulation. The attempted murder charge carries a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

The complaint charges that Barajas had been drinking for three days when the woman came to his residence in Sacred Heart on the morning of Aug. 22 to see if he would accompany her to church.

The complaint charges that after an argument, the two sat down on a sofa and Barajas put his knee on the woman's lap.

He allegedly grabbed her neck and pushed it back, restricting her breathing while lowering a knife toward her neck with his right hand.

The woman used her left hand to stop the knife from reaching her neck, but was wounded.

The defendant allegedly asked her if she wanted to die and said he would kill her. She pushed the defendant off and left.

After telling her church pastor about the incident, the pastor went to the Barajas' home.

Barajas reluctantly gave the knife to the pastor, who turned it over to law enforcement, according to the complaint.