A Barrow County man has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing and killing his girlfriend late Friday night.
Police say Winder resident Ralph Butler, 58, faces Murder, Aggravated Battery and Aggravated Assault charges after attacking Yolanda Hammond, 50, during a dispute at a residence on Bush Chapel Drive just before 11 p.m.
The altercation apparently began when Butler traveled to the location in order to confront Hammond about some unnamed items that she had allegedly stolen.
"As the two argued, another man at the scene tried to intervene and he and Butler began to fight. Butler struck the man causing an injury to the man’s head," Winder Police said on Sunday afternoon. "Butler then continued to argue with Hammond, ultimately stabbing Hammond repeatedly."
Hammond died of her injuries shortly after police arrived at the scene of the altercation.
Police said Butler fled the scene immediately after attacking Hammond, but was traced to a Bethlehem address roughly 12 hours later. He was then arrested at the Tanners Bridge Road location just before noon Saturday.
"Butler was taken into custody by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office and is currently awaiting a bond hearing at the Barrow County Detention Center," Winder Police said.
The unidentified man that Butler attacked during the original dispute was taken to a nearby hospital and was treated for a non-life-threatening head injury.
