Gahanna's Alan Dillman, 49, told police his 16-year-old daughter, Grace, asked Robert Best to stab him as he lay bleeding on his bedroom floor from lacerations to his back, neck and leg on June 13.

Best, 20, has been charged with attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder and felonious assault. He had an initial appearance in Franklin County Municipal Court last week, where his bail was set at $500,000. He was ordered held in the Franklin County jail.

Grace Dillman, who was a student at Veritas Academy, a Christian school in Worthington, waived her appearance in Juvenile Court on a delinquency count of attempted aggravated murder, and is due back in court later this month.

Best, of Indiana, told police he and the girl developed a plan about a month ago that would allow their relationship to continue despite objections from her parents, Alan and Trace Dillman.

Best and Grace Dillman apparently met through the Internet, police said, and police records show the Dillmans called police last fall over concerns about their daughter's involvement with Best.

Gahanna police investigated but did not find evidence to arrest Best at that time.

According to police, Best arrived at the Dillman residence at 511 Hamilton Court at about 3 a.m. June 13, where the girl left an exterior door unlocked and disabled the home's alarm system.

Best was told there were surveillance cameras in operation, so he planned to chase the girl in view of the cameras to make it appear the attacks were part of a home invasion.

Best met the teenager in her bedroom, according to police reports, and then about an hour later, went to the Dillmans' bedroom with a straight razor he had brought with him.

With the girl standing in the doorway of her parents' bedroom, Best stood over her father for about 15 minutes before retreating back to her bedroom, unable to follow through with the murder plan, police reports said.

After about 40 minutes in the girl's bedroom, police said Best returned to the couple's bedroom and again stood over Dillman for five minutes, unable to follow through with the plan of slitting the couples' throats.

Police reports said the daughter told Best, "You have to do it before they wake up."

Best then left the bedroom and retrieved a knife from the kitchen counter, because he told detectives he thought he needed something bigger than the razor. He also grabbed a blanket from the living room couch to contain any blood spraying from the wounds he planned to inflict.

As Best entered the bedroom for the third time, police reports said the blanket brushed Alan Dillman, who then woke up and noticed Best and yelled, "What are you doing?"

A struggle ensued, according to police.

While Best had Alan Dillman in a "bear hug," police reports said he proceeded to stab him in the back. Dillman sustained four to six lacerations to his back, one to his neck behind his ear and one to his lower leg, police reports said.

Trace Dillman, 47, called the Franklin County Sheriff's Office at about 5 a.m., saying her husband had been stabbed by her daughter's Internet boyfriend.

She was uninjured.

Alan Dillman was transported to Grant Medical Center, where he is recovering from his wounds.