EVERETT — Theirs was an imperfect romance.

He ended up on an Everett convenience store floor, bleeding from a slice to his trachea. She ended up behind bars and now is on trial, accused of stabbing him with the knife he gave her for Christmas.

Tiana Star Cox, 19, of Shoreline, cried and dabbed at tears as lawyers gave opening statements Monday afternoon. She is charged with first-degree domestic violence assault with a deadly weapon for the Dec. 26, 2013, bloodshed.

Star Cox didn’t intend to cut her boyfriend’s throat, defense attorney Christine Sanders said. There was a struggle for the knife after an argument over booze. Star Cox didn’t want to drink anymore Fireball whiskey but her boyfriend was upset that he’d been the one to finish most of the bottle. He threatened to cut her up and throw her in the river. He also slammed her head and punched her, her lawyer said.

Star Cox was abused by the man, the jury was told. He was seven years older and street savvy. He isolated her from her family, put her down and controlled her. She was defending herself. She wanted the abuse and bullying to stop, Sanders said.

“She had no intention to hurt him for the sake of hurting him,” the defense attorney said.

Jurors were told that Star Cox will testify. A psychologist also is expected to explain why some people don’t leave abusive relationships and how Star Cox shows signs of post traumatic stress disorder.

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow said on Monday that Star Cox’s own words hours after the stabbing indicate that she was waiting to assault her boyfriend.

She had the knife and said she “‘planned to attack him if he reached toward her,’” Darrow said.

The man is lucky to be alive. The 4-inch blade didn’t hit any major arteries in his neck and when stabbed into his chest it didn’t go deep enough to cause significant damage.

The victim, however, was convinced he was going to die.

The attack happened inside his car after he stopped to buy a beer. The couple had gone fishing and then drove around Whidbey Island looking for a place to have sex, jurors were told. They headed back to Everett and stopped at a convenience store. He took off his seat belt and “suddenly realized his throat had been cut.”

He then realized that Star Cox was the one attacking him, Darrow said.

“She slashed at him with the knife he had given her as a Christmas present,” Darrow said.

The man escaped from the car and staggered into the store and collapsed. He was lying on the ground, covered in blood when police arrived. Star Cox also was on the floor. Officers reported that she was crying and slurring her words. She allegedly admitted that she stabbed her boyfriend.

She later told detectives that the man threatened to hurt her while they were driving back from fishing.

Once at the police station Star Cox kept yelling, “Baby, I love you.”

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley