LOWELL — A 58-year-old Dracut woman is being held without bail after she allegedly stabbed her ex-husband in the torso on Saturday in what her attorney described as a reaction to years of alleged abuse, fueled by a cocktail of alcohol and medications.

In Lowell District Court on Monday, Julia L. Murray, who has no prior record, was ordered held in jail pending a dangerousness hearing on Wednesday.

Murray, who appeared distraught in court, pleaded not guilty to one count of armed assault with intent to murder. As she was led away in handcuffs after her arraignment, she wiped away tears and blew kisses to several people in the audience.

Prosecutor Megan McGovern explained that Dracut police responded to a report of a stabbing at 116 Pine Valley Drive around 9 p.m. Saturday. Inside the home, police found a “significant amount of blood on the floor” and Murray’s ex-husband with a large laceration to the left side of his torso, according to the police report.

McGovern said the victim was expected to undergo surgery Monday morning.

McGovern acknowleged this incident was the result of ongoing “family issues.”

Defense attorney Joseph Serpa told Judge Stacy Fortes that Murray, a hairdresser struggling to keep her business afloat, has no history of violence.

Serpa alleges that the incident on Saturday was the culmination of years of alleged physical and mental abuse, as well as allegations of sexual abuse involving her children.

No one else involved in this case has been charged.

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