More charges coming for woman accused of assault & home invasion
MARQUETTE — A Marquette woman originally charged with eight felony counts, including assault with intent to murder, was in court Wednesday morning for her preliminary exam.
Amber Suggitt, 33, refused to physically appear for the hearing, which is within her rights.
The court hearing began with Suggitt’s victim testifying. The victim said her friendship with the defendant began in 2015.
She testified Suggitt began to change mentally last November. The victim cut off her relationship with Suggitt back in early February, saying she had become “needy and obsessive.”
On February 28th, the victim said Suggitt forced her way inside her home on East Fair Avenue in Marquette and pulled out a gun. The victim said Suggitt told her she was going to rape her and kill her.
“And if I didn’t go upstairs where she could rape me, she would kill me right here right now and if I would want that,” said the victim, recalling what Suggitt told her. “I said no.”
“How did she react?” asked Andrew Griffin, assistant prosecutor.
“Telling me to go upstairs waving the gun at me,” said the victim.
The victim added Suggitt acted very cold, showing no emotion. In what she called ‘being in survival mode’, the victim talked Suggitt into giving her a hug.
That’s when the struggle for the gun began. During the struggle, one shot did go off into a nearby wall.
The victim was able to get control of the gun and dial 911. Officer Robert McLaughlin of the Marquette Police Department was one of the first officers to arrive on scene.
“I saw when I walked in two subjects laying on the kitchen floor underneath the table. One was on her back and the other was on top of her, chest to chest,” said McLaughlin.
Suggitt was choking the victim with both hands until police pulled her off and arrested her. Near the end of the hearing, Marquette County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Griffin asked Judge Roger Kangas to add charges of torture and assault by strangulation against Suggitt.
That would give her a total of 10 charges. Judge Kangas will determine if the case moves forward to circuit court.