Support for LAist comes from
Made of L.A.
Stay Connected

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts and Entertainment

Couple Stabs Each Other Over Silly 'American Idol' Argument

Support your source for local news!
The local news you read here every day is crafted for you, but right now, we need your help to keep it going. In these uncertain times, your support is even more important. Today, put a dollar value on the trustworthy reporting you rely on all year long. We can't hold those in power accountable and uplift voices from the community without your partnership. Thank you.

It turns out some people still get worked up about "American Idol:" a day-drinking couple got into a serious argument about this season's contestants and ended up stabbing each other. Karen Elaine Harrelson, 48, and Gregory L. Stambaugh, 57, of York County, Pennsylvania got into a booze-fueled argument over whether Candice Glover or Kree Harrison would win this season's "American Idol," according to the York Dispatch.

It's not clear what exactly happened next (and it's very possible that neither Harrelson nor Stambaugh remember correctly). Harrelson said she went to the kitchen to get a knife to cut a piece of cake when Stambaugh followed her. She said he pulled out a second knife and stabbed her in the wrist, hit her in the head and threw her down. Harrelson said she stabbed Stambaugh with the knife she had in her hand, and then called 9-1-1.

Stambaugh tells it differently: He says Harrelson went to the kitchen to get a knife and came back downstairs to stab him in the forearm. He says he followed her back up to the main floor, wrested the knife from her hand and accidentally stabbed her in the process.

Harrelson had reportedly been drinking beer and tequila since 5 am, and he had joined in at noon with a pint of scotch and some beer.

Support for LAist comes from

Harrelson was bloody and waiting out in front of her home around 9:20 pm on Wednesday, May 15 when police arrived at the scene. Stambaugh yelled about "how police don't give a f-- about the girls" and "only arrest the guys."

The couple were treated at a nearby hospital, and then charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of aggravated assault. Harrelson is in York County Prison in lieu of $30,000 bail, and Stambaugh is there on $70,000 bail.

And Candice Glover ended up being the winner—we're not sure whether Stambaugh or Harrelson won that argument.

Most Read