Couple tells different tales about stabbing incident
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Nickole Pergande
JANESVILLE — He claims his wife was stealing from him, was distraught over legal issues and sliced his throat in an attempt to murder him.
She claims her husband is lying, was stressed about the couple’s job loss and yelled, “I’m dying! I’m dying!” after getting cut for an unknown reason.
In a classic case of he said/she said, Nickole E. Pergande, 35, of 530 S. Randall Ave., Janesville, appeared in Rock County Court on Tuesday on a charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the stabbing of her husband, Jaymie Pergande, 38.
Sitting in jail with her blonde hair tied back and wearing an orange jailhouse uniform, the mother of two spoke softly and sat up straight while appearing in court on video.
District Attorney David O’Leary argued for a $50,000 cash bond, and defense attorney Laura Breun asked for $1,500 cash.
Court Commissioner Charles Holznecht set a $10,000 cash bond, saying the evidence is strong and the alleged crime was violent.
According to the criminal complaint:
Jaymie and Nickole have been married for 3½ years, but they recently filed for legal separation. Both were laid off from Lear Corp. this year.
Nickole told police the couple’s marriage was rocky. She said her husband has been stressed about not working. She said they fight verbally, but they never become physically violent.
On Sunday morning, Jaymie’s neck was cut while he was in the shower. The deep wound was 7 inches long.
Jaymie’s trachea was cut, and he had to undergo surgery at Mercy Hospital. He received several units of blood.
The couple gives different stories as to how Jaymie was injured.
Jaymie was unable to speak, but he wrote several letters to investigators.
He told police his wife was stealing his money and his guns. He told police she followed him into the shower.
Jaymie said his wife told him he had soap in his eye. When he turned to rinse it off, he felt pain in his neck.
Jaymie told police the cutting was premeditated. He also told police his wife did everything she could to delay getting him help.
Nickole told police a different story.
She said her husband was lying. She claimed she didn’t do anything. She told police she had been in the bathroom earlier, but she left to check on her children in the basement.
While in the basement, she heard Jaymie scream. She said they both called 911 on separate cordless phones. She claimed she didn’t know how her husband was injured.
Nickole admitted she took money out of her husband’s account to take a trip with her kids, but she denied taking her husband’s guns.
When police arrived at the couple’s home at 10:33 a.m. Sunday, an officer saw Jaymie on the kitchen floor, holding a towel on his neck. He was covered in blood from head to toe.
Investigators took several kitchen knives as evidence, police said.
Jaymie was taken to Mercy Hospital, but family members asked that no information be released about his condition.
If convicted, Nickole faces a maximum 60 years in prison.
She is scheduled to be back in court Tuesday, Jan. 20.
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