Troy Abel: The Murder Of Jeff Childs

LOWELL -- Moments after convincing a distraught Jeff Childs to stop a bloody knife attack on Childs' ex-girlfriend, Troy Abel relaxed a bit.

He knew police were on their way.

"(Jeff) shook my hand and he dropped the knife. I thought it was over," said Abel, a boyfriend of Childs' niece. "He walked away."

Abel was even more stunned by what happened next.

Childs, 40, went into the kitchen at 818 E. Main St., grabbed a 10-inch carving knife and put the blade to his throat as cruisers arrived at the scene.

"He said something about the police being here and not going to prison," seconds before he fatally cut his neck with five young children nearby, Abel said.

"I begged him so many times to stop," he said.

Abel, 21, described the harrowing 10 minutes

They had been in an on-and-off relationship for the past year. She was still friendly with Childs' family and went to visit Tuesday at the Main Street home, calling ahead to make sure Childs was not there.

But he showed up unexpectedly and confronted Fuller on an enclosed porch. He refused to let her leave the room, then pulled a knife and began stabbing her as she stumbled into the

The children and another adult moved to a back area, however, when it became apparent Childs was out of control.

Family on Wednesday said Childs had a history of depression and twice spent time at the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health psychiatric center, most recently in October. He threatened suicide in the past and was on anti-depressant medication, they said.

Childs also had been drinking at some point before the assault, something Abel said Childs gave up in earlier years because he became belligerent. Fuller told police she believed Childs had been drinking heavily.

Lowell Police had contact in the past with Childs for "mental and criminal" issues, interim Police Chief James Hinton said, but he never was arrested. He has no criminal past other than a 1995 drunken driving charge.

Family of Childs believe he simply "snapped" because of the failing relationship and described the violence as out-of-character. He was on disability for an old back injury and was not working but loved to hunt and fish.

Nicole Ryan, a niece, described him as a big family man who loved to spend time with his grand-nieces and nephews, especially her 5-year-old son,