SEMINOLE, FL – Authorities in a Pinellas County suburb have arrested a 58-year-old woman accused of launching two separate knife attacks against her husband on Tuesday morning, after reportedly voicing her intention to harm both him and their adult son.
Deputies responded to a home on Tara Cay Court in Seminole just after 8 a.m., where they found a man outside in a white robe and suffering from a bleeding cut on his left forearm. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the victim told investigators he had spent several harrowing hours avoiding his wife, identified as Karen Ruth Dedert, after she allegedly tried to kill him inside their home.
The incident began around 5 a.m., when Dedert is alleged to have woken her husband and asked about their son’s location. Detectives say that when the man questioned her reason for asking, Dedert responded that she needed to “sacrifice” and kill them both. She then grabbed a large knife and attempted to stab her husband, who managed to wrestle the weapon away and barricaded himself in a downstairs bedroom.
For nearly three hours, the victim remained isolated, according to police accounts. When he eventually left the bedroom to use another part of the house around 7:45 a.m., he encountered Dedert again, but at that point, no violence occurred. Believing the danger might have passed, he continued with his morning routine, including taking a shower.
The situation escalated once more after he left the bathroom, authorities said. As he made his way toward the kitchen, Dedert allegedly waited behind the refrigerator and then lunged at him with another knife, aiming for his abdomen. The man was able to defend himself a second time but sustained a laceration to his arm during the struggle.
Throughout the confrontation, officials report that Dedert repeatedly shouted threats that she was going to kill her husband. Despite their struggle, the victim managed to wrestle the knife away and escape the home to call 911.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, Dedert was located inside and taken into custody without incident. She initially refused to speak with investigators, but later made a remark to deputies, admitting she was wearing different clothes than during the attack.
Dedert has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, with the offense classified as a domestic-related crime. She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail, where she was initially held without bond.
A judge set Dedert’s bond at $100,000 during a hearing Wednesday, with conditions that include GPS monitoring if released, a prohibition on contact with her husband, and a single supervised visit to the home to collect personal belongings.
Authorities have not disclosed information about a potential motive, apart from the statements allegedly made by Dedert regarding her husband and son. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.