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Inset: Tabatha Richardson (Natrona County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area in Wyoming where Richardson allegedly tried to kill her husband (Google Maps).
A woman from Wyoming, aged 37, stands accused of a chilling crime: attempting to murder her estranged husband by stabbing him in the neck while he was tending to their infant. Allegedly, she then inflicted injuries upon herself to support a false narrative of self-defense.
Tabatha Richardson was taken into custody earlier this month, facing charges of aggravated assault and battery following this alarming incident of domestic violence.
The harrowing encounter reportedly took place in December 2025, within the confines of the couple’s home in Casper. This occurred just a little over a month after they initiated divorce proceedings, as detailed by Oil City News.
Responding to the scene, deputies from the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office encountered two starkly different accounts from Richardson and her husband, both of whom had dialed 911. The conflicting stories are chronicled in a report from Cowboy State Daily.
The husband recounted to emergency dispatchers a startling sequence of events: while seated on the couch and feeding their baby, Richardson reportedly approached him unexpectedly. Suddenly, he became aware of something happening on the right side of his neck, only to discover blood on his hand. Acting swiftly, he exited the home and sought assistance, expressing to investigators his belief that the attack was unprovoked and voicing concern for the safety of their children.
Richardson, however, claimed she acted in self-defense, telling a dispatcher that her husband “was on the couch and I just walked by him and he started attacking me.” She later alleged he punched her in the ribs while she was holding the baby, prompting her to pull a folding knife from her bra and stab him “to get [him] off her.”
A child in the home reportedly did not witness the incident but heard the man scream, “What are you doing?” followed by Richardson responding, “What? What am I doing? You’re hurting me!”
Investigators said physical evidence did not support Richardson’s account. A search of the home revealed blood but no signs of a struggle, and detectives noted the knife did not have a spring-assisted mechanism and likely could not be opened with one hand, reportedly contradicting her version of events.
Authorities said key evidence came from home surveillance footage.
Video from a bedroom camera allegedly showed that roughly two to three hours before the stabbing, Richardson struck herself multiple times with a small sledgehammer. According to the affidavit, “It appeared on the video that the sledgehammer was swung with just enough force that it would leave a mark on a person.”
Investigators later observed bruising on Richardson that was “round and consistent with the shape of the sledgehammer.”
A search of Richardson’s phone also revealed she had sent herself messages about domestic abuse and materials related to testifying about abuse.
During follow-up interviews, Richardson initially claimed she used the sledgehammer as treatment for a chronic condition. However, she later admitted to investigators that she struck herself to protect herself and her children and also confessed to scratching herself with a chisel, authorities said.
Investigators also said Richardson attempted to demonstrate how she opened the knife with one hand, but “Richardson repeated to investigators that she opened it with one hand by pushing the button but demonstrated how to open the knife with two hands,” according to the affidavit.
Medical records reviewed by investigators reportedly showed no documented history of abuse by her husband, though Richardson had expressed concerns about divorce and losing custody of her children. Authorities also said a review of the husband’s phone found no evidence suggesting he had been abusive.
Richardson posted 10% of her $30,000 bond and was released. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court for her arraignment.