ATTLEBORO — When the savage attack that killed Julie Meede began Wednesday evening inside her apartment on Holmes Street in Norton, her 10-year-old daughter tried to rescue her.

The girl attempted to call 911, but her stepfather, Martin McDonald, stood in her way, a prosecutor said Thursday. He is now charged with murder in connection to the fatal beating and stabbing that took the life of Meede, his estranged wife.

“The defendant struck [the girl] in the head area, took her phone so she couldn’t call 911,’’ Bristol Assistant District Attorney Stephen Nadeau said Thursday during McDonald’s arraignment in Attleboro District Court.

The blow was so hard, the girl’s neck snapped back and she hit the back of her head, causing minor injuries, according to a police report filed in court. McDonald left the apartment and the girl called 911 at 7:25 p.m. on her mother’s phone, the report said.

A minute later, McDonald, 35, who lives in Weymouth, crashed a Dodge Ram pickup truck into another vehicle on Interstate 495 in Norton, injuring a Rhode Island woman, the report said.

Back at the apartment in Norton, Meede lay mortally wounded on the floor between the kitchen and living room with her other two children, ages 9 months and 3 years, and a relative’s 5-year-old child screaming nearby, the report said.

Norton Police Chief Brian Clark said Meede’s daughter did an “amazing job’’ calling 911.

“[I] certainly hope . . . things work out in the future for her. I think she’ll have a lot of family support. I think she’ll have a lot of town support,’’ Clark said. “My thoughts are for the family right now and certainly the young kids that were involved that had to see this.’’

The state Department of Children and Families has taken custody of the children, according to Andrea Grossman, spokeswoman for the agency.

McDonald appeared before Judge Edmund Mathers wearing a white jumpsuit and was ordered held without bail. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf to charges of murder, assault and battery on a child, and witness intimidation.

Forensic psychologist Arthur Pearson also met with McDonald and recommended that he undergo a criminal responsibility evaluation. In court, Pearson said McDonald told him he has been hospitalized for psychiatric issues and had attempted suicide in the past.

Mathers ordered McDonald to go to Bridgewater State Hospital for the evaluation. His next court date is scheduled for March 2. Defense attorney Dana A. Sargent declined to comment after the proceeding.

The deadly assault began during dinner, when McDonald came downstairs with a bag of clothes, struck his estranged wife with it, and knocked her to the ground, Nadeau said.

McDonald punched Meede in the head and then stabbed her with a knife, he said. Nadeau did not disclose a motive for the attack.

Firefighters took Meede to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where she was pronounced dead at 7:58 p.m., the police report said.

The girl who called 911 was found with dried blood on her clothing and arms, the report said.

As investigators examined the horrific scene inside Meede’s apartment, firefighters and State Police troopers were on Interstate 495 where McDonald had crashed the truck while driving south.

A preliminary investigation found McDonald crossed the grass median and entered the northbound side of the highway, where his truck collided with a Nissan driven by Kathryn Degnan, 30, of Smithfield, R.I., the DA’s office said. Degnan was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, but has since been treated and released, a statement from prosecutors said.

At the crash scene, a “large man’’ with his hands clasped behind his head approached Norton Fire Chief Paul J. Schleicher Sr., according to a witness statement filed in court.

“You better cuff me,’’ Schleicher quoted the man as saying. “I hope you have your cuffs.’’

The man, later identified as McDonald, repeated the same remarks to a state trooper, who asked why he wanted to be handcuffed.

“I just killed my wife,’’ McDonald responded, according to the police report.

The trooper asked whether McDonald’s wife was trapped in the crashed car.

McDonald answered: “No. . . . She’s in Norton,’’ the report said.

Court records show there had been allegations of violence between McDonald and Meede in the past. In addition, McDonald was accused in a September attack on two men, including one who had allegedly fought with a relative of Meede.

Officers arrested Meede in July after she allegedly struck McDonald with a pink toy hammer, according to a police report.

At the time, Meede told officers she was angry with McDonald for taking their 2½-month-old son to a bar, the report said. The charges were dropped in December after McDonald asserted his marital privilege, the DA’s office said.

Meede’s relatives declined to comment Thursday. At her apartment, two stuffed bears sat outside a sliding glass door.

Vicky Serrano, a neighbor whose son plays with the child who called 911, said she felt bad for the girl.

“Wow,’’ she said. “That’s sad.’’

Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.