Jacob Couch, a 32-year-old Alabama native, was brutally attacked with a hatchet at a bus stop in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this month. The suspect, 25-year-old Daniel Michael, is currently held on a $1 million cash bond in Pima County on felony assault charges. Couch, who has been on life support since the April 5 attack, is not expected to survive his injuries.
Couch and his wife, Kristen, were returning to their hometown of Arab, Alabama, from California, where they had been mourning the loss of their stillborn son. Their journey took a tragic turn in Tucson, where the attack occurred in broad daylight, just blocks away from Tucson police headquarters and two miles from the University of Arizona campus.
Luke Couch, Jacob’s younger brother, described his sibling as a man with a big heart who loved his family deeply. The motive for the attack remains unclear, with Michael’s lawyer suggesting self-defense during the initial bond hearing. However, Luke Couch stated that detectives found no evidence to support this claim.
According to Luke, his brother was attacked from behind while he was bent over. He expressed his family’s desire for swift justice and his personal anguish at seeing his brother in such a state. Jacob Couch, a father to a 15-year-old daughter, has shown minimal improvement, opening his eyes slightly in recent days.
The Tucson Police Department reported that officers responded to the scene of the crime at approximately 10 a.m. on April 5. They found an unresponsive male with sharp-force trauma and attempted to render aid until the Tucson Fire Department arrived. The suspect had left the scene by the time additional officers arrived to search the area.
Detectives from the Robbery Assault Unit later learned that the suspect had approached the victim and his wife at the bus stop and initiated a confrontation. After the assault, the suspect left the scene and boarded a public streetcar. Investigators collected evidence and obtained images of the suspect, leading to Michael’s arrest at his home in Tucson’s East Side three days later.
Luke Couch questioned why Michael wasn’t initially charged with attempted murder and urged prosecutors not to let the case slip through the cracks. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of staying near the hospital in Tucson.