A North Dakota woman smiled in her mugshot photo following her arrest on attempted murder charges. Lena DeOliveira, 23, allegedly attacked her boyfriend, Jonathan Granados, with an ax while he slept, on September 5, 2025. She reportedly struck without warning, and left. Miraculously, Granados survived the brazen attack but appears to have a long road to recovery ahead.
According to a news release from the Fargo Police Department, officers arrived at the scene of an alleged aggravated assault near the 7000 block of College Street North about 5:40 a.m. Police found a male victim with significant injuries and took him to a hospital for treatment.
Court documents obtained by InForum identified the victim as Granados. A witness reportedly told investigators that DeOliveira was homeless but often stayed in the detached garage where the incident allegedly took place.
The male witness told police he awoke to Granados screaming and DeOliveira swinging a hatchet.
“He looked and saw Lena swing down with the hatchet; he couldn’t see the point of the strike due to obstructions, but heard it sound like splitting wood, initially thinking she hit the headrest or headboard,” court documents noted an eyewitness claimed.
After the attack, DeOliveira reportedly left the scene on foot.
“He believes there were two strikes because when he approached (Granados), it looked like one or two of Johnny’s fingers were missing or ‘kind of hanging,'” police noted in the report of the witness statement. “He saw blood and a mark through Johnny’s skull.”
Many people in the comments section on the Fargo Police Department’s Facebook page bantered about what might have happened before the alleged attack.
“Rarely do we see women on here for this…. I wonder what he did to push her? ….If you are not careful these men will have you out here looking like a serial killer,” someone wrote. “Stay safe ladies.”
“I agree 2 sides. Terrible all around, definitely no judgment. Relationships are so dangerous when unhealthy, i think most of us have at some point made bad choices in the blink of an eye,” another person agreed. “I wish the world was fixed with words but it just isn’t how it is. Terribly unfortunate.”
“I love that since this is a female, everyone’s assuming ‘she had a reason’ yet if this was a man? he would be crucified. The world yall live in is just crazy,” a third person shared.
According to the Fargo Police Department, the Moorhead Police Department arrested DeOliveira on September 7 without incident. DeOliveira faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault. She is being held on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on October 16.
