BLUEFIELD, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A Bluefield woman is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly stabbing her ex-boyfriend during a heated argument on June 3.
According to police reports, officers were dispatched to 1015 College Avenue, Apartment 6, where they found 36-year-old John Vineyard with a serious knife wound below his chest. Vineyard told officers he had been stabbed by his ex-girlfriend, 33-year-old Badia Miller, who fled the scene in a black Chevy Cruze.
Vineyard reported that the altercation began over text messages with other women and Ms. Miller refusing to return a key to his apartment. When he asked her to leave, Vineyard said Miller became increasingly aggressive before pulling a knife — described as a “Rambo knife” — and stabbing him near the sternum. The wound was estimated to be two centimeters deep and four centimeters long, with a secondary slice below the initial stab. A cell phone belonging to Ms. Miller was recovered from the apartment.
The following day, June 4, while patrolling College Avenue, Officer D.W. Lester spotted a black Chevy Cruze with plates matching those seen on surveillance footage leaving the scene. A traffic stop confirmed the driver was Badia Miller, who was taken into custody. A passenger, Melissa Wanamaker, was also arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.
During a consented search of Miller’s vehicle, officers recovered a knife matching Vineyard’s description, as well as flip-flops hidden in the trunk with what appeared to be fresh blood. Miller, wearing a dress that appeared to have bloodstains, was transported to the Bluefield Police Department for questioning.
In an initial interview, Miller claimed Vineyard had touched her inappropriately during an evening of drinking, and that she left after biting him on the nose. She did not report any incident to police and gave conflicting accounts of her whereabouts, despite being captured multiple times on city surveillance footage throughout the night.
Later, before her arraignment, Miller requested to speak again with investigators. She admitted that her memory was clearing up and acknowledged pulling a knife for protection during the argument, though she initially claimed she didn’t realize she had injured Vineyard.
Police say the knife’s sheath was damaged in a way that could allow the blade to penetrate while still holstered. Investigators are still working to determine the full details of the incident.
Ms. Miller is currently facing charges of Malicious Assault and Domestic Battery. The case remains under investigation.
