Man pleads guilty after citing cough medicine in wife death

RALEIGH, N.C. — RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina man will serve life in prison for murdering his wife after claiming that his taking too much cough medicine factored in the killing.

Wake County Judge Paul Ridgeway sentenced Matthew Phelps Friday to life imprisonment without parole after Phelps pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. His wife, Lauren Phelps, died in September 2017 after being stabbed or slashed over 100 times.

The 29-year-old defendant had told a 911 operator he took too much cough medicine, had a dream and woke up covered in blood with a knife in the bed.

WRAL-TV reported dozens of people attended court to support Lauren Phelps' family and many wore matching shirts and buttons with her picture.

Matthew Phelps apologized in court for taking his wife's life, saying: "I feel like a monster."

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Information from: WRAL-TV, http://www.wral.com

Associated Press