A woman has been charged with fatally stabbing a man in his Long Island home, claiming she acted in “self-defense.” Her defense attorney states that the man had drugged her with a date-rape substance before attempting to assault her.
The victim, Robert “Bobby” Carragher, 28, tragically died in his father’s arms, with his mother witnessing the incident, according to police. It is reported that Carragher and Christine Scully, 22, had planned to meet late at night in the basement of his family’s Massapequa residence.
Scully, facing second-degree murder charges, has a history of drug addiction and was using cocaine and methamphetamine prior to the incident. Her lawyer, Dennis Lemke, noted that she fell into a coma shortly after the stabbing. This information was shared in a courtroom in Mineola, as CBS News reported.
Lemke argued that Scully stabbed Carragher in self-defense when she regained consciousness and found him about to assault her. During the proceedings, there were audible reactions from the audience, with someone shouting, “You liar!” in response to the defense claims.
Scully has alleged that Carragher was a longtime drug dealer, and they had previously sold drugs together days before the incident. Lemke also mentioned that on the day of the stabbing, Carragher had given her an e-cigarette containing a drug, leaving her incapacitated. He described how she became unwell and passed out, only to awaken to find Carragher on top of her, attempting to assault her.
In that moment, she grabbed a nearby knife and stabbed him before falling unconscious just a short distance away, as per her lawyer’s account.
Scully has struggled with addiction for years and had recently relapsed after being in rehab, according to Lemke. The courtroom atmosphere was tense, filled with gasps from both families as they listened to various accounts of the altercation.
Lemke stated that Nassau County detectives failed to take Scully to a hospital for rape testing after she reported the assault, though she was tested after her incarceration. The defense is currently awaiting the results of those tests.
Prosecution claims suggest that Scully and Carragher were using drugs together and had watched television in a bedroom before an argument broke out. They assert that Scully pulled a knife from her purse and stabbed Carragher while he was asleep, subsequently hiding in a laundry room afterward, covered in blood. Reports indicate that he managed to reach his parents, collapsing in his father’s arms.
Following Scully’s arrest, Nassau County Police Lt. George D’Arienzo stated that the situation appeared to be premeditated, noting that they had arranged to meet that night.
The emotional toll on Carragher’s family was highlighted as D’Arienzo expressed that “no family should ever have to witness the sudden murder of their son.”
Scully, who smiled as she was led into court, has been charged with second-degree murder, and a judge has denied her bail. She is due back in court on July 24.
