'I'll take him to my grave': Father of victim in 'cold medicine murder' does not forgive killer

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Wednesday, October 17, 2018
The family Lauren Phelps, a Raleigh woman stabbed to death by her husband, speaks to ABC News.

The family of a woman who was stabbed 123 times by her husband spoke to ABC News about how they are coping.

Matthew Phelps, an aspiring pastor, pleaded guilty to murdering his wife Lauren Phelps. Lauren was found brutally stabbed, and her family thinks her husband meticulously planned out the crime.

"He planned the whole thing from the get-go in my opinion, right from day one to the end," the slain woman's father, Dale Hugelmaier, told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "The last time I saw my daughter, she came over looking for a three-ring binder. She was nervous and a little edgy and it didn't look Lauren at all...She looked a mess...I regret it now -- that I didn't ask questions about what was going on."

A little over a year after killing her, Matthew pleaded guilty and apologized to Lauren's friends and family. He told them that he felt "like a monster."

When asked if he forgave Matthew for what he did, Hugelmaier responded, "No. Never. I mean, I'll take him to my grave. And I'll still hate him."

Matthew will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Related:
'I feel like a monster:' Man apologizes after pleading guilty to stabbing wife in cold medicine murder case
Search warrants: Couple was having money problems before man, who claimed to be on cold medicine, stabbed wife 123 times
Autopsy: Wife stabbed 123 times in Raleigh cold medicine murder

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