An Arizona bride-to-be was allegedly stabbed in the neck and face by her fiancé weeks before their wedding, after her 11-year-old daughter heard screams and called emergency services.
Emily Byles had moved to Glendale, Arizona, to live with Zachary Velasquez a few months before the couple were due to marry. Police said the attack happened about a week after they began living together.
Officers forced their way into the bedroom on October 5 after hearing Byles shouting from behind the door. They found her lying on her back, covered in blood and holding a pair of scissors.
Velasquez was nearby, shirtless and with blood on his hands, according to police. Byles told officers he was under the influence of methamphetamine and had been trying to kill her.
Court documents allege that Velasquez claimed he was a prophet and had attacked Byles in order to save her. He allegedly told her to lie on the floor and go to sleep, warning that he would kill her if she got up.
During a later police interview, Byles said he had told her: “It’s God’s plan for her to die.”
She suffered a deep wound to her neck which struck her vertebral artery, along with significant bruising to her face. She was taken to hospital, where staff told her she was in a critical condition and needed surgery.
In an online fundraising appeal for her medical costs, Byles wrote: “I was stabbed multiple times, my artery was cut, and I was severely beaten.”
“I was not supposed to survive, but by God’s grace I did,” she added. “Since that night, our home has been left unlivable, with too much blood to even clean up.”
Byles has been recovering from surgery at a friend’s home, while her daughters have been staying with her sister. She said her eldest daughter had shown “more courage that night than most people ever should have to” by calling 911.
Velasquez had previously been arrested on allegations including armed robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated robbery, court documents state.
He remains in jail and is facing charges including aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, intimidation and recklessly handling or displaying a weapon.
