'Like things were never going to be the same': High school student still recovering one year after stabbing
It has nearly been one year since a high schooler stabbed another student in the parking lot at Pinecrest High School.
According to the Southern Pines Police Department, Avery Slatcher’s ex-boyfriend, Christopher Tarter, stabbed her more than 20 times around 8:45 a.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023.
“For a long time, it felt like things were never going to be the same. Like, there’s no way I could ever go back to [the] life I had before this happened,” Slatcher said. “Sometimes, it still feels like things are different from the way they were before.”
Her father, Matthew Slatcher, said she suffered stab wounds to her legs, both sides of her torso, her back and the top of her head. He also said she suffered wounds on her arms while trying to defend herself.
“Her femoral vein that was severed was never able to be repaired,” he said, adding his daughter has nerve damage in her leg.
Police said fellow students subdued Tarter after the stabbing, and police took him into custody.
Slatcher told WRAL News that at one point during the stabbing, she lost consciousness.
“I know people were there for me,” she said. “I know people were all trying to make sure I was going to make it.”
Her father, Matthew Slatcher was at work at the time of the stabbing and rushed to the hospital.
“By the time I got to the hospital, she was already undergoing surgery,” he said.
Avery Slatcher spent 16 days in the hospital and required 30 units of blood when she was airlifted to UNC Hospital. She told WRAL News she was unsure if she would be the same after the stabbing.
Matthew Slatcher said once he and his wife knew Avery would survive, they had to prepare for a new challenge.
“It’s hard to figure out how to navigate your life,” he said. “It’s a life-altering event.”
Avery Slatcher said she is now undergoing therapy and has returned to classes, but says she still suffers from anxiety and trust issues because of the stabbing. Despite her new life, she told WRAL News the experience has made her more grateful for her family and other things in her life.
“I’m able to be here and spend time with my family … and that could’ve been taken away from me so easily,” she said.
Tarter is due in court again on April 22.
As for Avery Slatcher and her family, they will hold a blood drive at 2 p.m. Friday, April 26, at RED’s Corner & Rec Room Bar and Arcade at 901 SW Broad Street in Southern Pines.
They say the goal is to collect 10 times the amount of blood needed to save her life that day. The family will then speak at the University of North Carolina Medical School and Trauma Hospital’s 35th Annual May Day Medical Conference to share gratitude to those who saved her life.
“There were so many people who were focused on it and stepped in to do something about it,” Avery Slatcher said.
The family also has a GoFundMe set up to help with Avery’s ongoing medical expenses.
