Not guilty plea in slashing at church

[Ian David]

Tuesday, July 24, 2007
By CAROLYN SALAZAR
STAFF WRITER

HACKENSACK – A woman accused of repeatedly slashing a pastor's wife with a box cutter after following her into a church bathroom pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges Monday.

A handcuffed Yolanda Cooper, 40, defiantly told a Municipal Court judge she wants to represent herself in court. Cooper, who police said has a history of psychological problems, was ordered held on $1.1 million bail.

Morning services at Trinity Baptist Church were disrupted Sunday after Cooper attacked the pastor's wife, Theresa Whitfield, as she went to a lower-floor bathroom with her infant daughter, said police Capt. Tomas Padilla.

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She had been attending the church for at least two years, and became an active member a year ago, the captain said. She hadn't had any prior run-ins with Whitfield, and appeared to have no clear motive, he said.

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