Police arrested an Ohio woman who allegedly stabbed another woman several times. Detectives said the suspect likely attacked the victim for wearing fur.
FOX8 reports that at a little after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 35-year-old Meredith Lowell stabbed a babysitter three times at the Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights. The victim, a babysitter, was dropping children off at the church for choir practice when the incident happened.
The attack occurred in the main hall of the church, according to police, where the victim was waiting with the children.
When witnesses heard screaming, they rushed to the victim and saw her fall to the ground in a pool of blood. While a bystander restrained Lowell, church members took the children to another wing in the church and secured them there until police arrived.
According to a police report, authorities arrived to find the witness clutching her side, lying in blood. They noted that a man had Lowell pinned down on the floor.
Authorities said Lowell stabbed the babysitter twice in the arm and once in the stomach. They subsequently arrested Lowell and charged her with felonious assault and attempted murder.
This isn’t the first time Lowell has been arrested. In 2012, she tried to hire a hitman to kill someone for wearing fur, according to court documents.
“I would like to create an online community on Facebook which would allow me to find someone who is willing to kill someone who is wearing fur toward the end of October 2011 or early November 2011 or possibly January 2012 or February 2012 at the latest,” Lowell wrote, according to an indictment against her.
Lowell then began exchanging exchanged messages with an undercover FBI agent who posed as a hitman. Lowell allegedly offered money and jewelry in exchange for the murder.
“You need to bring a gun that has a silencer on it and that can be easily concealed in your pants pocket or coat. Do not wear anything that even looks even remotely like fur.”
After the message exchange, police arrested Lowell and charged her with soliciting murder. After numerous evaluations, forensic psychologists determined she was mentally unfit to stand trial.
While in jail on murder solicitation charges, Lowell allegedly passed a handwritten note to another inmate. The note read that she would hire a hitman again if she were out of jail or kill the fur-wearer herself, according to ABC5.
When another forensic evaluation later determined that Lowell wasn’t considered a threat to herself or the public, prosecutors dropped the charges. She was subsequently released from jail with the understanding that prosecutors could later re-file the charges if needed.
In November 2018, Lowell allegedly stabbed a woman in Cuyahoga County. The motive in the incident remains unclear, but the case was eventually transferred to the mental health court. She was released on a $5,000 bond.
Cleveland Heights police said they believe Lowell’s motive for the latest attack is similar to her previous fur-related crime. The babysitter had reportedly been wearing faux fur boots when the attack happened.
“It is our belief the motive behind the attack was believed to be [the victim] wearing fur,” Chief Mecklenburg said during a Thursday morning. “It’s a little different. It’s going to take a lot more legwork by our detectives but they are actively looking into everything.”
Lowell remains behind bars on a $1 million bond.
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[Feature Photo: Meredith Lowell/Police Handout]
