Man accused of stabbing mother of his child denied bond

TAMPA - A judge in Hillsborough County denied bond on Monday for the man accused of trying to kill the mother of his child earlier this month.

Prosecutors say John Collins picked up Heidi Slachter on March 8, then drove her to a park on North 66th Street before demanding she hand over a bag containing $500 in cash from her employer. According to investigators, Collins stabbed Slachter seven times in the neck after she refused to hand over the money.

The victim was able to get away. A nearby bicyclist ran over to help.

Heidi Slachter is fighting to recover after being stabbed several times. John Collins, the father of one of her children, faces charges in the attack.

"He saw a white female get out of the car, and it appeared like she had blood all over her and she stumbled to one of the houses that was nearby," said Det. Henry Echenique with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

RELATED: Tampa mother nearly killed after father of her child stabs her in the neck: Prosecutors

Slachter was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery to save her life. At Monday's bond hearing, Echenique said Slachter is not able to talk and only communicates by writing on a dry erase board.

"She has a tube in her throat and she had injuries around her neck and throat area," he explained.

John Collins is accused of stabbing the mother of his child, Heidi Slachter, seven times in Hillsborough County.

Kayla Garcia is Slachter’s daughter from a prior relationship.

"He’s just a horrible person," said Garcia about Collins, who faces an attempted murder charge. "When you meet him you can just tell he’s up to no good at all times."

Garcia says her mother had recently filed a restraining order after previous abuse, was in the process of leaving Collins, and had already met someone new. She says her mother remembers Collins' chilling words as she was being attacked.

"She said as he was doing it he said, ‘if I can’t have you, nobody can have you, and that’s why you’re going to die today,’" she recalled.

Tampa Judge Michelle Sisco wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.

"There are no conditions of release or bail that could reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm," ruled Sisco.

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