A St. Paul man is charged with trying to kill his pregnant girlfriend by slashing her neck and critically injuring her.

Steven M. Gutierrez, 30, was charged Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault for the July 31 attack on his 24-year-old girlfriend.

The woman is 12 weeks pregnant with Gutierrez's child, and was still hospitalized when the charges were filed. She suffered a nearly 5-inch cut from across her trachea to the back of her neck.

According to the complaint: The woman told police that she and Gutierrez had been dating for two years, living together most of that time. The woman's son, 4, and her brother also lived in the home.

She arrived home about 6:15 p.m. on July 31. She told police that she and Gutierrez began arguing, partly about him taking away her phone several days earlier. She also said that he became abusive when he drank. The couple called the woman's mother to have her mediate by phone. Her brother also became involved. Gutierrez grew enraged, the charges said, hung up the phone and then dumped the ashes of the woman's deceased pet rabbit on the kitchen floor.

He left the home in his van and later returned. The woman told police that he acted gentle at first and took her outside, where he "suddenly got up and physically attacked her, tackling her to the ground." He got on top of her and grabbed her neck. The woman told police that she thought he had scratched her neck, but then saw blood "pouring" from the wound. She said she hadn't seen anything in his hands, but had spotted a package of razor blades in his van.

The woman's brother witnessed the attack and called 911. She was taken to Regions Hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a large and deep wound that caused her difficulty breathing and hemorrhagic shock. The woman's carotid artery was exposed but not injured.

CHAO XIONG