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Jose M. Polanco, 24, of the 26600 block of Long Corner Road, was arguing with his roommate around 11:15 p.m. when the argument turned physical, Capt. Paul Starks, police spokesman, said.
Polanco is also known as Manuel Varaona, but told the judge at his bond hearing Monday afternoon he prefers Polanco.
The county Public Defender's Office represented Polanco in court, but no one has interviewed him yet to know if he will be using a private attorney because the office did not have a Spanish-speaking interpreter earlier in the day, Public Defender John Lavigne told the judge.
District Court Judge Brian G. Kim set bail at $1 million.
Polanco is accused of grabbing a knife and stabbing his roommate more than nine times in the torso, Assistant State's Attorney Gerald Collins said at the bond hearing.
The incident occurred in an upstairs bedroom, Starks said.
When police arrived, the victim lay on the floor bleeding. He was flown to the R. Adams Cowley Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he remains in critical but stable condition, Starks said Monday. Starks was unable to provide further information about the victim.
Other members of the household as well as Polanco were on the scene when police arrived and were able to relay details of the incident to responding officers, Starks said.
Police charged Polanco with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault, Kim said in the courtroom. The first-degree murder charge is a felony that carries a possible life sentence and the first-degree assault charge is also a felony that carries a possible sentence of 25 years.
Polanco is also charged with three counts of theft less than $500, one count of theft more then $500 and one count of conspiracy to commit theft over $500, Kim said. No further information on these charges was available.
Charging documents were not available in District Court in Rockville on Monday. A state online court database showed no charges for Polanco or Varaona in Howard County, but did show the Montgomery County charge.