A Calhoun man who brutally attacked his girlfriend inside a Dalton department store last year has been sentenced after pleading guilty to attempted murder, according to the Whitfield County District Attorney’s Office.
Terry Lee Chamlee, 68, admitted to stabbing his girlfriend multiple times inside the Roses department store on Cleveland Highway on October 24, 2024. Surveillance footage showed Chamlee entering the store shortly after purchasing a knife from the nearby Lowe’s.
District Attorney Benjamin Kenemer said Chamlee was captured on video crossing Cleveland Highway and walking toward Roses after making the purchase. Once inside, he located his girlfriend at the back of the store and attacked her, stabbing her repeatedly before fleeing the scene on foot.
The victim was able to escape to the front of the store, where employees and customers rushed to help and contacted emergency services. She survived the attack.
Witnesses told police that Chamlee fled into the nearby Kroger, where surveillance cameras captured him changing clothes. In the parking lot, an off-duty Dalton Police Department officer confronted Chamlee at gunpoint and attempted to detain him. Before additional officers could arrive, Chamlee stabbed himself. He was taken into custody and later recovered from his injuries.
During sentencing, two members of the victim’s family delivered emotional testimony before Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris Poston. The victim also submitted a written letter that was read aloud in court.
As an aggravating factor, DA Kenemer presented Chamlee’s prior conviction for a similar act of domestic violence. In 1985, Chamlee was convicted in Gordon County of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and other charges after shooting a previous romantic partner. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in that case. The victim from the 1985 incident was present at the sentencing and addressed the court, describing the long-lasting impact of Chamlee’s violence.
Kenemer said the case is a tragic reminder of the dangers of domestic violence and praised the courage of both victims in speaking out.
Chamlee’s sentence reflects the severity of the 2024 attack, along with his history of violent offenses.
