Inset: Tabatha Richardson (Natrona County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area in Wyoming where Richardson allegedly tried to kill her husband (Google Maps).
A 37-year-old Wyoming woman is accused of attempting to kill her soon-to-be ex-husband by stabbing him in the neck while he was feeding their infant son before intentionally injuring herself to bolster a self-defense claim.
Authorities arrested Tabatha Richardson earlier this month and charged her with one count of aggravated assault and battery over the domestic violence incident.
The December 2025 attack allegedly occurred inside the couple’s Casper home just over a month after the couple had filed for divorce, Oil City News reported.
Deputies with the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office responded after both Richardson and her husband called 911 — offering conflicting versions of what happened, according to a report from Cowboy State Daily.
The husband reportedly told dispatchers he had been sitting on the couch feeding their infant when, “out of nowhere,” Richardson said something to him before he “felt something happen to the right side of his neck.” After noticing blood on his hand, he fled the home and called for help, reportedly telling investigators the attack was unprovoked and that he feared for his children’s safety.
Richardson, however, claimed she acted in self-defense, telling a dispatcher that her husband “was on the couch and I just walked by him and he started attacking me.” She later alleged he punched her in the ribs while she was holding the baby, prompting her to pull a folding knife from her bra and stab him “to get [him] off her.”
A child in the home reportedly did not witness the incident but heard the man scream, “What are you doing?” followed by Richardson responding, “What? What am I doing? You’re hurting me!”
Investigators said physical evidence did not support Richardson’s account. A search of the home revealed blood but no signs of a struggle, and detectives noted the knife did not have a spring-assisted mechanism and likely could not be opened with one hand, reportedly contradicting her version of events.
Authorities said key evidence came from home surveillance footage.
Video from a bedroom camera allegedly showed that roughly two to three hours before the stabbing, Richardson struck herself multiple times with a small sledgehammer. According to the affidavit, “It appeared on the video that the sledgehammer was swung with just enough force that it would leave a mark on a person.”
Investigators later observed bruising on Richardson that was “round and consistent with the shape of the sledgehammer.”
A search of Richardson’s phone also revealed she had sent herself messages about domestic abuse and materials related to testifying about abuse.
During follow-up interviews, Richardson initially claimed she used the sledgehammer as treatment for a chronic condition. However, she later admitted to investigators that she struck herself to protect herself and her children and also confessed to scratching herself with a chisel, authorities said.
Investigators also said Richardson attempted to demonstrate how she opened the knife with one hand, but “Richardson repeated to investigators that she opened it with one hand by pushing the button but demonstrated how to open the knife with two hands,” according to the affidavit.
Medical records reviewed by investigators reportedly showed no documented history of abuse by her husband, though Richardson had expressed concerns about divorce and losing custody of her children. Authorities also said a review of the husband’s phone found no evidence suggesting he had been abusive.
Richardson posted 10% of her $30,000 bond and was released. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court for her arraignment.