Tennessee woman, 72, who stabbed husband as he slept on recliner, said to be 'cheerful' and 'unfazed': 'I hope he died'

CLINTON, TENNESSEE: An elderly woman has been arrested on Attempted First Degree murder charges in Clinton, Tennessee for allegedly stabbing her sleeping husband. According to a statement by the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, officers were dispatched to a home on Dutch Valley Road after a stabbing was reported. When they arrived, they saw the victim coming out of the house with a towel on his chest. He has been identified as Harold Duncan, 66. "The towel was soaked with blood," the statement said. 

Duncan then proceeded to tell Kory Blevins the deputy at the scene that his wife, Pecola Duncan, 72, stabbed him in the chest while napping on the recliner. His blood loss and wound appeared to be life-threatening and he was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. 

Deputy Blevins and Deputy James Presson found Pecola in a "cheerful mood and unfazed by the events." She told them that he had attacked her and "dragged her down the hallway" following which she had stabbed him. There were no signs of a fight and no marks or injuries from a struggle, according to Deputy Presson, says the statement. She then took the officers to the place where the knife was located, in the kitchen. She was arrested at 6.51 pm on Friday.

The police also said just before being taken to jail, she asked them if her husband Harold had passed away. Before they could respond, she said, "I hope he died". Pecola was being held without bond at the Anderson County Detention Facility. As of Wednesday, the Detention Facility lists her bond as $100,000.

Any other details have not been released by the Anderson County Sheriff's Office. Attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder are Class A felonies in Tennessee. 

The case is still under investigation. She will appear before a court on December 4, 2019, at 8:30 am.