A 54-year-old Mount Vernon woman who is already accused of trying to murder an ex-intimate partner now faces assault, menacing and other charges stemming from a second incident earlier this year involving that same person, the Westchester County district attorney's office said Thursday.
Shaun Rhames was indicted June 1 on those counts as well as unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with a Feb. 21 incident at her home, prosecutors said. She's been held in jail since then.
According to the indictment, that 65-year-old former partner, also a long-time friend, was sitting at Rhames' kitchen table that day when she allegedly came up behind him with two knives in hand. She put one to his neck and threatened to kill him, court papers allege.
The two struggled and Rhames got on top of the victim and tried to cut off a finger, according to the indictment. She also allegedly beat him on the head and face with one of the knife handles, prosecutors say, then ordered him to empty his pockets and take off all of his clothes except for a coat and shoes.
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At that point, Rhames forced him outside of the house. She then called the cops herself and was taken into custody, officials said. The man needed stitches for the wounds he endured at her kitchen table, according to prosecutors.
“This case is a disturbing reminder that violence in intimate relationships can take many forms and that the victims can be both men and women,” Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a statement announcing the newest charges. “We are committed to holding Shaun Rhames accountable for her actions in both of these cases and to getting justice for her victims."
Attorney information for Rhames wasn't immediately clear.
