Police: Argument over "American Idol" leads to stabbing, arrest

ST. PETERSBURG — Police said a St. Petersburg woman took a TV dispute too far Tuesday night when she stabbed and scalded her boyfriend over "American Idol.''

Police arrested Cynthia E. Bettis-Ware, 52, on a charge of first-degree attempted murder of Kevin Johnson, 47.

It happened at 11:22 p.m. at the Empress Motel, 1501 Martin Luther King St. N, which the couple listed as their permanent address, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Dawkins.

The couple were watching American Idol when they began arguing over something that happened on the show, Dawkins said. He changed the channel to stop the argument, Dawkins said, but she kept arguing so "he decided, 'Well, I'll go to bed.'''

He awoke to Bettis-Ware wielding a 10-inch butcher knife. She stabbed him five times in the back and twice in the chest, an arrest affidavit states. Police said she also severely burned Johnson with hot cocoa.

Johnson took the knife from her and ran to the motel parking lot, Dawkins said. Bettis-Ware chased after him with another knife, she said.

Soon a crowd formed and someone called police, who arrested Bettis-Ware in her motel room, she said. She was being held without bail in the Pinellas County jail Wednesday.