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LOGAN — A man has been charged with attempted murder after police say he stabbed another man numerous times in a Logan hotel room.
Joseph Scott Liebl, 45, was charged Wednesday in 1st District Court with attempted murder, a first-degree felony; two counts of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; four counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony; and other charges.
Logan police responded Tuesday to a call from a local hotel, where a man with lacerations across his neck, face and hands was waiting at the front desk.
"The victim had severe blood loss and was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he was taken to surgery to control carotid bleeding," a police booking affidavit states. "The lacerations are profound and will cause permanent disfigurement or possible death."
The man told police he'd been stabbed multiple times, and officers followed a "distinct" trail of blood to the room number provided by the man.
Police said they found Leibl and another man in the room. Liebl had blood on his body and was found with two fixed-blade throwing knives and with a medium-sized fixed-blade knife in a sheath, the affidavit states.
Additionally, police found a large fixed-blade knife that had been rinsed off and hidden away, and there was "substantial blood in the room to illustrate a violent attack," according to the affidavit.
Officers interviewed the other man in the room who said all three men are homeless and met in Logan. Leibl invited him and the victim to the hotel room, where they all consumed alcohol, police said.
The witness said Liebl was holding the large knife when the conversation became confrontational and the victim punched Liebl in the face. Liebl grabbed the victim and they both fell to the floor, and the victim struggled on the floor until he could get up and run out of the room "while bleeding profusely," the affidavit says. The witness said Liebl stayed in the room and began washing blood off of himself.
"While getting medical treatment, Joseph commented, 'I should have killed him,' while using his thumb to demonstrate cutting the throat," the arrest report states, adding that Liebl denied cutting the victim.
Police say a warrant was issued to swab dried blood samples from Liebl's body, but Liebl pulled away and began yelling, then began licking the blood off his body, and "shouted about having numerous severe infectious diseases."
In addition to the felonies, Liebl was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and interference with an arresting officer, class B misdemeanors, and intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.
Liebl has a criminal history in multiple states, according to the affidavit, with outstanding warrants for his arrest in two other states. He's previously been convicted for assault.
