A 19-year-old woman is dead after being stabbed several times in Torrington this morning and police have identified a suspect, but have not filed charges.
Police have identified the victim as Holly Aeschlimann, 19, of Torrington, and they identified the suspect as Heather Birden, 20, also of Torrington.
Police received a disturbance call at 1:12 a.m. on Friday in the area of Prospect and Hungerford streets, responded and learned from a passerby that Aeschlimann had been injured and that a passerby took her to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital.
Authorities later learned she has died from her injuries, police said.
Multiple people who spoke with NBC Connecticut indicated that there was bad blood between the victim and the suspect and police said there's been an ongoing history between them. Friends told NBC Connecticut that Aeschlimann was riding her bike in the area when she was attacked by another young woman with an axe to grind and a knife in her possession.
"They were out here yelling there was quite a commotion out here," Robert Chatfield, of Torrington, said.
Family and friends gathered Friday afternoon to share fond memories.
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"My heart's broken. For her family...and Holly," Linda Kijonka, a family friend said.
Thomas Farr is friends with Aeschlimann and took a selfie with her just hours before she was stabbed to death at the corner of Prospect and Hungerford Streets in her home town of Torrington.
"She was very close to me. She was like my baby sister, we did everything together," Farr said.
Birden is not being charged as of yet, police said, but is being arraigned today in Bantam Superior Court for an active arrest warrant issued by the Winchester Police Department for an unrelated case from Aug. 7. She was charged with assault in the second degree, reckless endangerment and breach of peace in that case. Friends said that the other case also involved a stabbing, but that is not confirmed with police.
Birden is also being charged with violation of probation.
While friends aren't sure how or when the feud between the victim and suspect started, they said the two had scuffled about a year ago.
"I guess she was trying to get back at her for something that happened, that she started," Farr said.
Their latest dispute was apparently about a man.
"I know that Heather liked the guy, but I know that Holly was just hanging out with him," Maddie Brown, another friend of Aeschlimann's said.
Three friends were with Aeschlimann at the hospital, Brown said.
The investigation in the stabbing is ongoing and the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad is assisting.
No additional information has been released.
There was an impromptu gathering on Friday night in Aeschlimann's memory and there will be an organized vigil on Sunday.
