EL PASO, Texas – The El Paso Police Department (EPPD) has released the arrest photo of the man accused of brutally attacking his wife while dreaming that she was “fighting an evil witch.”
The man is Marcus Anthony Payne, 40, a U.S. Army veteran, who is currently being held on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $150,000 bail at the El Paso County Jail in downtown El Paso.
THE FIRST CALL
The incident occurred on the morning of Thursday, August 22, when El Paso police officers responded to 3348 Tierra Mision in reference to a report of shots fired.
The caller said five to six shots had been fired, and that Marcus Anthony Payne, 40, was standing at his door talking, court documents say.
Upon arrival, officers observed Payne yelling and throwing objects before running back into his home.
According to court documents, officers at the scene spoke to Payne’s mother on the phone and learned that the man had mental health issues and that the officers’ presence would “further exacerbate his situation.”
Payne’s ex-wife, later identified by relatives as Jennifer Lambert, a former U.S. Army sergeant, was notified of the incident by the man’s mother and also responded to the scene.
According to court documents, Payne’s ex-wife managed to calm him down, but he refused to come out so that officers could treat him.
The EPPD decided to breach their perimeter and drop Payne off inside his home, the report said.
SCREAMS AND A WOMAN ASKING FOR HELP FROM HER NEIGHBORS
According to the documents, around 6:13 a.m., several calls were made to check on the person’s well-being as witnesses reported hearing several screams inside the home.
One of them, who was a nearby neighbor, said he could see through his doorbell camera a woman bleeding from the head knocking on his door, court documents say.
The victim was Jennifer Lambert, who was seriously injured and trying to call for help. Fire and medical crews responded to the scene and located the victim, who was transported to a local hospital, the report said.
Officers approached Payne’s home and saw him standing in the front yard with a pit bull. Payne was given verbal commands, which he complied with and was taken into custody without further incident, the report said.
DEFENDANT CLAIMS HE FIGHTED AN “EVIL WITCH”
According to court documents, Payne told officers he was fighting a “witch” and was able to trick her into putting her in a dog “cage.”
They also say officers conducted a security search of Payne’s home for possible additional victims.
“The officers were able to observe blood throughout the house, a machete, a small axe, a pistol, unfired bullets and spent casings,” the document reads.
The report states that officers also observed blood inside a pickup truck parked in the driveway of the home, and a trail of blood that appeared to be coming from the residence and across the street.
EPPD Crimes Against Persons investigators were called in to continue the investigation.
WOUNDS, A FRACTURED SKULL AND A MUTILATED FINGER
They were told that Payne’s ex-wife had approximately “six lacerations to her head, a broken skull with exposed brain matter, multiple defensive wounds to her arms and hands, and was intubated at the time,” according to court documents.
Investigators also noted that Payne’s ex-wife was missing part of her middle finger on her left hand and appeared to have been cut off.
Shortly afterward, investigators obtained a search warrant for Payne’s home and located a firearm, a machete and a small ax with blood on it on top of a mattress in the living room, according to court documents.
Investigators also discovered a dog cage with “a large amount of blood pooled in the bottom,” confirming Payne’s statements about putting someone in a “cage.”
Investigators also discovered a portion of a finger that appeared to have been severed and was consistent with the injury to Payne’s ex-wife, according to court documents.
When investigators met with Payne, he said he did not remember what happened that night. However, he did say he remembered having a dream in which he was fighting an “evil witch,” according to court documents.
Documents indicate that Payne said he used two swords to fight the “witch” and that he struck her several times.
Payne also said he has a machete and an axe inside his home.
He also said the sandals he was wearing belonged to his ex-wife, so he believed his ex-wife had been to his house before, according to court documents.
Payne was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to court documents.
THEY ASK FOR HELP
Relatives of Jennifer Lambert, the woman who was brutally attacked by her ex-husband, are asking the community for help to cover her medical expenses and for her transfer to her hometown, San Antonio, Texas.
Jennifer remains hospitalized in El Paso after being brutally attacked with a machete while Payne was allegedly “dreaming that he was fighting an evil witch,” according to El Paso County Court documents.
Through a fundraising accountThey announced that although he is no longer on a respirator, numerous expenses need to be covered for his case.
“Jennifer is a loving and dedicated veteran. She has always been strong and independent, but this tragic event has turned her world upside down. She now faces a very uncertain future and as her only sibling, I am doing everything I can to help her,” the post reads.
“Once Jennifer is ready to be moved, we will need to move her belongings back to San Antonio, which will also involve considerable costs. Legal and administrative costs: We may need to hire a criminal attorney and handle other legal matters to protect Jennifer’s interests,” it added.
