Jurors in a Clearfield County murder trial got a big surprise when the defendant took the stand and admitted to the crime.
Joseph Fields admitting to snapping and stabbing his girlfriend, Nicole Snyder at their DuBois apartment on September 22, 2015.
In cross-examination, Fields said it happened when she told him it was the worst relationship she’d ever been.
A pathologist documented four cuts on her neck, saying the windpipe and jugular was cut causing her to bleed out.
The jury also saw a photo of one of the two defensive wounds the pathologist said Snyder sustained on her hands.
Fields said he snapped out of it when the 7-year-old boy that lived there approached him. He then dialed 9-1-1 and handed him the phone. Police only reported an open-line call at the E. Scribner Avenue apartment.
Fields said he panicked and left when a police car arrived, driving to Brookville, Wal-Mart, and Penfield during the manhunt.
Before the stabbing, Fields says he’d woken up to a tug at the sheathed knife that he carries around his neck and that a two-hour long argument over accusations of him cheating followed.
The defense argued that there was no specific intent to kill and said he is guilty of only third-degree murder, and not first-degree murder.
Deliberations are set for Wednesday.