The woman, who was discharged from the hospital two weeks ago, was shadowed by her husband. This time, he is being held without bail.
By CHRIS TISCH
Published July 8, 2003
CLEARWATER - Six weeks ago, Terri Stevens was in a coma. A ventilator breathed for her. A half-dozen stab wounds scarred her upper body. Her family didn't know if she would ever wake up.
Her husband, Andre Talley, sat in the Pinellas County Jail charged with attempted murder. Pinellas sheriff's deputies said he tried to stab Stevens to death in front of their 5-year-old daughter.
In the weeks since then, Stevens woke up from her coma and was discharged from the hospital. And on Wednesday, Talley posted $250,000 bail and was released from jail.
On Sunday afternoon, Talley was arrested again, this time on charges that he repeatedly drove by Stevens and her family, frightening them by rolling down his window and staring at them.
Clearwater police arrested Talley, 38, on a felony charge of tampering with a victim and a misdemeanor charge of violating a domestic violence injunction. He was being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bail.
According to court records, Talley has a history of domestic abuse, having been charged with four domestic violence charges in the past three years. He was convicted of only one of those charges, however.
Deputies said the couple have known each other for years but married only a couple of weeks before the May 17 stabbing.
Deputies said Talley and Stevens argued that night. After he grabbed a steak knife, she scooped up her 5-year-old daughter and ran outside, officials said. He caught her in the street and stabbed her in front of the child, according to deputies.
While Stevens, 35, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center for treatment, Talley drove to the Sunshine Skyway bridge and considered jumping off. A Pinellas sheriff's captain talked him off the bridge and persuaded him to turn himself in.
A few days after the incident, Stevens' family members described her condition as dire. She didn't have the strength to undergo surgery and doctors induced a comatose state.
About three weeks ago, doctors decided to wean Stevens off the ventilator, though her doctor was unsure how she would respond.
"He didn't expect Terri to pull through," said her brother, Rick Stevens. "But by prayers and everything, Terri did."
She was discharged two weeks ago. She receives physical therapy and is starting to walk without having to grab onto things. She also is undergoing emotional counseling, her brother said.
"Even though the wounds are healing, you still have the inside that may never heal," Rick Stevens said.
He said Terri Stevens and her sister took their children to the Martin Luther King Recreational Complex in Clearwater on Sunday afternoon. Police said Talley drove by them three times.
"He was just driving by. That's fine and dandy, but you don't drive by at 10 mph and then come back 10 minutes later," Rick Stevens said.
He said his sister was rattled by what happened. She had obtained an injunction ordering Talley to stay away from her family.
A judge also had ordered Talley to stay away from Stevens and her children when he was released on bail. "I think she was upset about it. She's scared of him. The whole family is," Rick Stevens said.
"He had an injunction he should have followed and he didn't. And that's why he's back where he's at."
