28-year-old man Matthew Phelps of Raleigh, North Carolina is currently facing murder charges after allegedly stabbing his newlywed wife, Lauren, to death early on Friday morning. However Phelps, who called the police to report the crime on himself, says he doesn't remember doing it, and believes that he was probably asleep when the gruesome act went down.
"I had a dream and then I turned on the lights and she’s dead on the floor," he said in a 911 call that lasted nearly seven minutes. "I have blood all over me and there’s a bloody knife on the bed and I think I did it. I can’t believe this." He also suggested on the same call that his actions may have been motivated by cold medicine that he took the night before.
"I took more medicine than I should have," he told the dispatcher. "I took Coricidin Cough and Cold because I know it can make you feel good. A lot of times I can’t sleep at night. So, I took some." According to CBS News, Coricidin,"[C]ontains dextromethorphan and chlorpheniramine, which experts say when taken in high doses – which is typically a result of recreational use – can cause euphoria, agitation, psychoses and dissociative phenomena."
Coricidin's parent company, Bayer, released a statement to CBS that said, in part, "Patient safety is our top priority, and we continually monitor adverse events regarding all of our products. There is no evidence to suggest that Coricidin is associated with violent behavior."
Additionally a friend who talked to ABC said that Matthew was attempting to become a pastor, while Lauren was a Sunday school teacher. ABC also adds that the couple had been married for less than a year.
Phelps is currently being held without bail at the Wake County Detention Center and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday. It is not clear yet if he entered a plea or has picked a lawyer.
