COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA 

Present: Judges Coleman, Elder and Fitzpatrick 

Argued at Richmond, Virginia 

LINDA STARKES 

 MEMORANDUM OPINION* BY 

v. Record No. 1458-96-2 JUDGE JOHANNA L. FITZPATRICK 

 APRIL 1, 1997 

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA 

FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND 

Walter W. Stout, III, Judge 

 Matthew T. Paulk, Assistant Public Defender 

(David J. Johnson, Public Defender, on 

brief), for appellant. 

 Linwood T. Wells, Jr., Assistant Attorney 

General (James S. Gilmore, III, Attorney 

General, on brief), for appellee. 

 Linda Starkes (appellant) was convicted in a bench trial of 

attempting to cause bodily injury to a police officer in 

violation of Code § 18.2-51.1. The sole issue raised on appeal 

is whether the evidence was sufficient to prove an intent to 

maim, disfigure, disable or kill Officer Crafton. For the 

reasons that follow, we affirm. 

 Officer Wilfred Crafton (Crafton) responded to a domestic 

disturbance at the home of appellant's sister, who informed him 

that she wanted appellant removed from the premises. Crafton 

observed appellant, who appeared to be intoxicated, and advised 

her that she would have to leave or be arrested for trespassing. 

 Appellant told Crafton that she wanted to show him something 

 

 *Pursuant to Code § 17-116.010 this opinion is not 

designated for publication. 
 2 

first and took him into the kitchen. She showed him a piece of a 

copper scouring pad of a type commonly used by people who smoke 

crack and said, "[T]his is what they're doing." Crafton advised 

appellant that the pad proved nothing because it appeared to be 

new. Appellant became angry and slammed a pan down on the table. 

 Crafton told her that he was placing her under arrest and turned 

to leave the kitchen. When appellant screamed, "[T]he police 

ain't taking me anywhere," Crafton turned to see her lunging 

toward him with a butter knife. Crafton jumped out of the way, 

and appellant swung the knife at him again. She missed the 

officer but struck an elderly man who was seated nearby, and 

"blood just spurted out" from his wound. Appellant screamed 

obscenities at Crafton, who maced her. She then dropped the 

knife. 

 "On appeal, we review the evidence in the light most 

favorable to the Commonwealth, granting to it all reasonable 

inferences fairly deducible therefrom." Martin v. Commonwealth, 

4 Va. App. 438, 443, 358 S.E.2d 415, 418 (1987). To sustain 

appellant's conviction for attempted unlawful wounding of a 

police officer, the Commonwealth must prove that appellant 

attempted to cause bodily injury to the officer with the "intent 

to maim, disfigure, disable or kill," knowing the officer was 

engaged in the performance of his official duties. See Code 

§ 18.2-51.1. 

 Appellant argues that she only intended to keep the officer 
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at bay rather than an intent to injure him. However, appellant 

followed Crafton into the bedroom, attempted to stab him with the 

knife and missed, and struck a third person who was injured. 

Under these circumstances, the trial court, as fact finder, could 

reasonably conclude that appellant acted with the intent to maim, 

disfigure, disable or kill Crafton. Accordingly, the evidence 

was sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant 

was guilty of the attempted unlawful wounding of a police 

officer. 

 For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the conviction. 

 Affirmed.