LINCOLN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Dairy Queen worker was in court today for attempted murder charges for allegedly stabbing another employee, and the victim's mother is now speaking out.
Rachel Sanchez, 20, attended a preliminary hearing today on Zoom for attempted murder and first-degree assault charges, but the hearing ended up rescheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Monday, July 8.
On Wednesday, June 5, Lena Williams received a terrifying phone call; her 16-year-old daughter, Holley Howard, had been stabbed at work.
“That is the hardest thing I could ever see is my baby on a ventilator because of somebody’s meanest," explains Williams. “Horrible. The worst call a mother can get saying her baby is that bad.”
According to a Commonwealth Kentucky citation, Sanchez had left work after she claimed the victim was "giving her strange looks and she did not like it." She proceeded to retrieve a long fixed-blade knife from her home and return to work with it.
That's when Sanchez reportedly assaulted Howard, cutting her twice on the neck and stabbing her in the stomach.
“She could have died. It was an inch or so from her main artery on her throat," Williams exclaims.
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Williams describes Holley as an old soul with a big heart. She just doesn't understand why Sanchez would attempt to kill her daughter.
“Why you attack my baby? You went home and got a knife. You knew that you were coming back to attack my daughter," questioned Williams. "Why. Why did you watch her for 30 minutes clean the dining room and then attack her?”
In the citation, Sanchez was reportedly on medication for schizophrenia and dealt with several other mental health issues. Sanchez told police she attempted to kill her co-worker because she needed to "stop the evil."
Williams thanks the Dairy Queen manager who stepped in to save Howard's life and prevent Sanchez from leaving the building.
“My daughter is such a sweet person that if this girl would have come to her and said she was having issues. Holley would’ve been her friend," says Williams.
Howard is back home and fully recovered physically, but Williams says mentally it will take more time.
“She gets what she deserves. I’m sorry but she gets what she deserves," says Williams.
