A New Jersey woman was charged with attempted murder Tuesday for stabbing of a 4-year-old girl last month in Paterson, the state prosecutor’s office announced.
The charges against Mabel Campechano, 27— which also include endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a weapon — collectively carry a potential state prison sentence of 20 to 36 years if convicted.
Relatives identified Campechano as the girl’s aunt, though authorities did not specify the relationship.
Officials from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s office took Campechano into custody “without incident” Monday, prosecutor Camelia Valdes said in a statement. She’s being held at the Bergen County Jail.
First responders answering a call from a residence around 4 p.m. on Aug. 23 found the blood-covered tot in the arms of her mother, who burst out of the house hysterically crying and clutching the little girl, witnesses said at the time. The 4-year-old was rushed to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center and was later listed in stable condition, though she needed numerous surgeries. Paterson is about 20 miles west of New York City.
The girl’s father, Faherem LaSane, said his daughter suffered a punctured lung and liver, as well as injury to her diaphragm.
Campechano lived with the mother and daughter and was babysitting the little girl, WPIX-TV reported.