Children, victim take the stand

Oneida, N.Y. >> Olivia Stevens sobbed on the stand as she testified against her father at his attemptedmurder trial on Wednesday.

“When I woke up, I saw my dad in the kitchen, stabbing my mom,” Olivia Stevens said to the court, breaking down crying as she re- counted the evening of July 14, 2016, when Michael Stevens allegedly stabbed Erin Chesebro more than 14 times in his Lake Street home.

“He wouldn’t stop,” her twin sister Addison said, adding that both of them screamed for him to stop.

“The knife went into my right cheek, all the way through,” Chesebro testified. “It broke one of my back teeth and hit my tongue.”

Recounting events of that night, Chesebro said she and Stevens were using crack cocaine around 8 p.m., and once they had finished what they had, Stevens said he’d go out to get more.

They were back together after a rocky relationship, she said. Chesebro said Stevens had been physically and mentally abusive on more than one occasion, but that she’d welcomed him back after he was released from jail and came to her crying. During their breakup, she’d had a relationship with David Scribner.

While Stevens was out looking for more cocaine on July 14, Chesebro said he found out about her relationship with Scribner.

On the stand, Scribner revealed he had received a number of text messages from who he thought was Chesebro, but was later revealed to be Stevens. Stevens pretended to be Chesebro and talked to Scribner, convincing him to meet at the Colonial Laundromat.

Scribner arrived at the laundromat with a pack of beer expecting to meet up with Chesebro. Instead, he said Stevens showed up in her van and asked him if he was having sex with her.

Unabashed, Scribner said yes. “He haymaker’d me, took the beer and drove off. Later, half an hour later, I got called by Erin.”

Chesebro denied the relationship at first, but after Stevens called Scribner with her phone and he confirmed their relationship, she admitted to it.

This lead to an argument that escalated and Chesebro said Stevens threw her against the refrigerator and grabbed a butcher’s knife off the table. She said Stevens stabbed her and then continued attacking her throughout the house, while her screams woke her three children.

Eventually Chesebro ran outside into Oneida City Police, who were responding to a call about a domestic dispute at the Lake Street residence.

“She ran straightforward and fell to the grass between the sidewalk and the curb,” said Sgt. Keith Hudson, who used a jacket he found on the front porch to help staunch the bleeding. “Blood was trickling out of her neck.”

Panicking and in agony, Hudson said Chesebro kept saying “I’m going to die.”

Oneida Investigator William Clark said Stevens gave a different account of the evening, telling him Chesebro “flipped out” on him and grabbed the knife, trying to stab him in the stomach. Clark said Stevens claimed her pushed Chesebro’s arms back in self defense, and that’s what caused the wound on her face.

When looked over by EMS, Stevens had a number of red marks on his abdomen that Clark said were not bleeding and could not account for the amount of blood on his person. Stevens also had a number of abrasions on his hand that Stevens claimed were self defense when he attempted to grab the knife from Chesebro.

Oneida Investigator Christopher Bailey, upon seeing the wounds Chesebro had suffered, believed there was a high chance she would not survive and began the process of getting a dying declaration from her.

“I asked her who did this to her and she said ‘ Mike Stevens’,” Bailey said. “I asked her what he did and she said ‘ He stabbed me’.” Bailey said he had her repeat this into one of the squad mics to make a record of her account.

EMS looked over Stevens in a nearby vehicle after he complained about being stabbed and cut, Bailey said.

Bailey told the court there was a small mark on Steven’s abdomen, but there were no cuts or lacerations that could explain all the blood on his body and face.

Bailey also tended to the children, talking to them and trying to console them. “They had blood on them. They said the blood is from their mommy,” Bailey said. “Aspen, the son was in awe just staring at her mom. Addison and Olivia, the twins, they just talked to me like nothing was going on.”

While on the stand, Assistant DA Mascari Bob Chesebro showed Chesebro the bloody knife allegedly used to stab her. The handle had broken off during the struggle at the house. She winced.

“It affects me a lot,” she said. “It took a long time to be able to look at myself in the mirror. I’m reminded of that night every time.”

The trial is expected to continue Thursday and Friday at Madison County Court.

Oneida Investigator Christopher Bailey, upon seeing the wounds Chesebro had suffered, believed therewas a high chance she would not survive and began the process of getting a dying declaration from her.