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No Bail For Man Charged With Trying To Kill Lowell Mom

LOWELL (CBS) – Police have arrested a man wanted for trying to kill a 36-year-old mother of three in her own home Wednesday morning.

26-year-old Daniel Burns of Lowell was captured early Thursday morning.

"Lowell detectives located Burns at his residence on Lakeview Avenue and following a brief foot chase after Burns fled from police, he was apprehended on Farmland Road and placed into custody," police said in a statement.

Burns is charged with breaking and entering in the daytime with felony intent, assault and battery by dangerous weapon (pipe), armed assault with intent to murder, and attempted murder by strangulation.

He was arraigned in Lowell District Court and ordered held without bail.

Prosecutors said in court Thursday Burns has confessed to police.

Burns is accused of attacking Brenda Finch Wednesday morning shortly after she dropped off her 4-year-old daughter for her first day of preschool.

"She had noticed one of the windows was open in the house. She wasn't quite sure what had happened. She was on the cell phone with her friend. She walked upstairs to see if there was anything in the house that was missing," says Lowell Police Captain Kelly Richardson.

That's when the attacker, who was hiding inside, snuck up on her. "He came from behind," says neighbor and friend Hank Wais ."He says, 'Don't look at me. Don't look at me or I'll kill you.'"

WBZ-TV's Ken MacLeod reports.

Police say Burns hit Finch with a pipe and tried to strangle her before he ran away.

Officers later found some of the Finch family's belongings nearby, which he'd apparently tried to steal, but dumped during his getaway.

Finch was treated at Lowell General Hospital.  She needed six staples in her head.

Burns is due back in court next Thursday for a dangerousness hearing.

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