click to enlarge - James Buck
- Yvonne Frederiksen
Veronica Lewis pleaded not guilty on Thursday to an enhanced charge of second-degree attempted murder for the assault of her cellmate at the state women's prison.
Lewis had been cited for aggravated assault after police say she bludgeoned Yvonne Frederiksen with a state-issued tablet computer and a padlock in May. The Vermont Attorney General's Office has since upgraded the charge to attempted murder.
Lewis was already serving a 10-year prison sentence on a conviction for the same crime. In 2015, Lewis nearly killed her gun-range instructor in a shooting that left the victim permanently disabled.
Lewis' criminal cases — including numerous allegations of violence inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility — have sparked legal and political debates about how Vermont handles crimes in which the perpetrator has a serious mental illness.
click to enlarge - Courtesy Of Vermont State Police
- Veronica Lewis
Lewis is alleged to have attacked Frederiksen while she was sleeping and at a time when their unit was unsupervised because of a staffing shortage,
Seven Days reported last week. Days before the attack, Frederiksen told prison officials that Lewis seemed unwell and that she feared for her safety. Separately, Lewis had contacted a judge to ask that she be transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
Lewis attended Thursday's arraignment by video from prison, where she took notes on a notepad. Frederiksen attended the hearing in person after being released from prison several weeks ago. She previously told
Seven Days that she was pushing for the enhanced charge of attempted murder and, after the hearing, said she was happy to see the AG's Office pursuing it.
Assistant Attorney General Sophie Stratton asked that Lewis be held in prison while the new attempted murder case unfolds. She told Judge Navah Spero that prison officials have described Lewis' attacks as "very violent and calculated."
Lewis' public defender, Harley Brown, did not contest the request on Thursday because, he said, Lewis' existing prison term doesn't end until October.
Lewis is also accused of violating the terms of her earlier plea deal. If found guilty on that charge, she might serve up to 10 more years behind bars.