GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — New details are emerging in the incident that saw a mother lose her life in a stabbing attack on Thanksgiving Day. Gwinnett County police said Marcia Chance's son was holding the knife. It's still unclear what led up to the attack, as investigators have not discovered a motive.
11Alive spoke to a neighbor who said he was familiar with the family. Daniel Agbonze, who has lived in the neighborhood off Misty Valley Court for about a decade, said the tragedy has reverberated throughout the community.
"We're still shocked, nobody really can believe it," he said. "We’re waking up every day seeing the same woman over and over. Just to hear a tragedy like this, it kind of makes everyone stop a moment.”
Agbonze recalled Chance, the 42-year-old who died, as being quiet and going about her business. He said her son struggled with mental health issues and could often be seen wandering down neighborhood streets, talking to himself or yelling.
“He never seemed like the kind of kid that would just attack you, you know? It’s still mind-blowing," Agbonze said. "For it to reach the level, completely out the blue. Nobody would predict that, and the fact that this kind of thing happens completely out the blue literally made time stop in the neighborhood, and now everyone’s asking questions.”
Guy Robinson, another neighbor, said Chance had three children. Her youngest son reportedly called police when the stabbing happened around midday Thursday, according to Gwinnett County investigators. Robinson said Chance also had an older daughter, who had moved out of the house.
"The 18-year-old would talk to himself, singing lyrics of songs with some bad words," Robinson said. "He didn’t ever bother nobody where nobody was scared of him. We knew he needed help. I feel for the rest of their family. I don’t know them, but I can imagine the pain they’re going through.”
Robinson said he would warn friends who visited the neighborhood about the son's mental condition, and in one instance, Robinson recalled a friend telling him the son pointed a finger in the shape of a gun at him.
The son appeared in front of a judge for the first time at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. He is currently in the Gwinnett County Detention Center facing felony murder, aggravated assault and a felony weapons charge.