A St. Paul man strangled his sister-in-law, slashed her neck and chest with a knife, and told police he was "one-hundred percent sure" he had killed her, according to charges filed Monday.

Paul Lee, 23, is charged with second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault in Ramsey County District Court for the May 17 attack. The woman, 27, was found in the 1700 block of Maryland Avenue E. lying in the fetal position on the curb, her eyes swollen shut, with blood covering her face, neck and chest. She was naked from the waist down.

According to the complaint: Police interviewed the victim at Regions Hospital's surgical intensive care unit. She told police that Lee arrived at her home and asked to use her phone because his phone battery was dead. The woman said she rarely has contact with Lee so his visit surprised her.

When she retrieved her phone, Lee strangled her until she lost consciousness. She was in and out of consciousness, and heard him going through her utensil drawer. When she awoke, Lee was stabbing her neck. She passed out. When she awoke again, he was slashing her shoulder and chest, the complaint said.

The woman made her way to the front door as her boyfriend ran toward the house. Lee cut the man, chased after him and eventually called his wife to pick him up.

"I killed your sister," Lee allegedly told his wife.

In a police interview, Lee said he did "something very wrong" and told police he drove to the woman's home after drinking, attacked her with a knife he found in the kitchen and also attacked her boyfriend. The boyfriend told police he believed Lee used a broken bottle on him.

The woman told police Lee cut her wrist, which Lee could not recall, and believes that he also sexually assaulted her with an unknown object. Lee denied the sexual assault allegation.

Lee told police he didn't know why he drove to the sister-in-law's house.

Chao Xiong