Police say the woman suffered serious neck and hand injuries during an altercation at a Fairmont home before managing to escape.
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — A 50-year-old West Virginia man has been charged with attempted murder after police said he attacked a woman with a knife inside a Fairmont home, leaving her seriously injured before she was able to escape.
Benjamin Mayfield of Fairmont was arrested following the Oct. 11 incident at a residence on 14th Street, according to the Fairmont Police Department and a criminal complaint cited by local news organizations. Mayfield is accused of attacking the woman after an argument began while she was at the residence to collect her belongings. He remained jailed on a $1 million bond as of Tuesday. The charge is an allegation, and Mayfield is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Investigators said the woman arrived at a home she had previously shared with Mayfield to retrieve personal belongings. Police said a verbal dispute developed between them before the encounter turned violent. According to the criminal complaint, Mayfield obtained a knife from a box inside the residence and restrained the woman before cutting her neck.
The woman suffered a serious neck wound as well as several cuts to her left hand that authorities said were sustained as she tried to defend herself. Despite her injuries, police said she managed to get away from the residence after the attack.
She was taken to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown for treatment. Authorities and news reports reviewed Wednesday did not provide an updated description of her condition or say how long she was expected to remain hospitalized. Her name was not released in the reports reviewed for this story.
Fairmont police arrested Mayfield in connection with the attack. He was charged with attempted murder and taken to the North Central Regional Jail. WV MetroNews and other local outlets reported that his bond was set at $1 million.
Authorities have released few additional details about what led to the dispute. The criminal complaint describes the sequence of events alleged by investigators, but those claims have not yet been tested in court. No information reviewed Wednesday indicated that Mayfield had entered a plea or that a court had made findings on the attempted murder allegation.
The case drew wider attention after reporting from Fairmont television station WDTV was distributed nationally by Gray News, including through Arizona’s Family. The incident occurred in West Virginia and was investigated by Fairmont police, despite the story appearing on news websites in other states.
Mayfield remained in custody at the North Central Regional Jail while the criminal case proceeded. Authorities had not announced additional charges or released further information about the woman’s recovery as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated October 14, 2026.