Beheading Victim Fought Killer, Autopsy Shows

Okla. death report says Colleen Hufford had 'defensive injuries' on hands, arm
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 27, 2014 11:15 AM CST
Beheading Victim Fought Killer, Autopsy Shows
In this Oct. 1, 2014, photo provided by the Cleveland County, Okla., Sheriff's Department, Alton Nolen is pictured in a booking photo.   (AP Photo/Cleveland County Sheriff's Department)

An autopsy shows that a woman who was beheaded at an Oklahoma food-processing plant apparently tried to fight off her attacker, who had a serrated cooking knife. Colleen Hufford, 54, was killed in the Sept. 25 attack at Vaughan Foods in Moore. The autopsy released yesterday says she died of decapitation resulting from sharp-force trauma to her neck. The Oklahoman reports that the autopsy found defensive injuries to both her hands and her right arm.

Police say 30-year-old Alton Nolen attacked Hufford after learning he'd been suspended from his job at the plant. The weapon was a cooking knife with a blade about 8 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide. Prosecutors have charged Nolen with first-degree murder in the case and say they'll seek the death penalty. (A Baltimore man fought back against two armed robbers—and won.)

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