A 1-year-old girl tried to cover herself with a blanket when she saw her mother getting attacked, according to court paperwork.
On the morning of Jan. 12, Mesa police went to a home in the area of Southern Avenue and Stapley Drive where they found a woman who had been stabbed and beaten.
The victim told police that 28-year-old Erica Renee Thomas, who also goes by Eric Thomas, woke her up and accused her of cheating. The victim told police Thomas held her down, beat her using a Timberland boot and stabbed her in the chest with scissors.
The victim said Thomas attacked her right in front of her 1-year-old daughter.
Courts records show the victim "looked at her daughter and saw the child trying to cover her face with a blanket."
Thomas stopped the attack after another roommate entered the room.
The victim took her daughter and went to another home and called police.
Mesa police officers said Thomas admitted to hitting the victim with a boot but denied stabbing her. Thomas claimed to be trying to cut her hair, but the scissors broke because her hair was too thick.
Thomas is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
