US man alleges he killed wife in his sleep, woke to find her dead

  • 05/09/2017

A US man has admitted to stabbing his wife to death, but says he has no memory of it because of the medicine he took to help him sleep the night before.

North Carolina resident Matthew Phelps left his spouse Lauren Ashley-Nicole Phelps with fatal injuries early on Friday morning (local time) before making an emergency call to police revealing he was likely responsible.

Ms Phelps was taken to hospital, but was later pronounced dead on account of the stab wounds she suffered.

In heartbreaking audio of the call Mr Phelps made to police, the 28-year-old said he took more cold medicine than he ought to have in an effort to help him get to sleep.

"I had a dream, and then I turned on the lights and she's dead on the floor," he told the operator.

"I have blood all over me and there's a bloody knife on the bed and I think I did it.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe this. I'm so scared."

Mr Phelps later told police he had taken Coricidin - a medication which experts say can cause psychosis and dissociative phenomena when taken in high doses.

At the end of the phone call, Mr Phelps started to weep, telling police his deceased wife "didn't deserve this".

Friends of the couple and neighbours say they are shocked by Ms Phelps' death, especially as they seemed like a happy couple, according to CBS News.

Newshub.