NATCHEZ — An alleged domestic dispute Friday morning escalated into a fatal stabbing leaving one Natchez man dead and his girlfriend in custody.

Tere McGraw, 30, died early Friday morning from a single stab wound to the left upper chest, Adams County Coroner James Lee said.

The case has been ruled a homicide, Lee said, and an autopsy is being performed to ensure the definitive cause of death.

Natchez Police Department Detective Jerry Ford said McGraw was arguing with his girlfriend, Lavonda Jackson, at her East Stiers Lane house early Friday morning when the argument got heated.

“They had apparently both been drinking at the time, and the argument got heated to the point where (McGraw) allegedly began choking her,” Ford said. “In the process of (McGraw) choking her, she grabbed a knife and stabbed him one time in the shoulder.”

Ford said Jackson, 45, used a butcher knife from the kitchen to stab McGraw.

McGraw was pronounced dead on the scene at approximately 2:15 a.m.

Jackson was taken into custody, Ford said, but has not been formally charged as detectives seek to determine if the stabbing was truly an act of self-defense.

Ford said detectives are not pursuing any other suspects at this time.