Stephen Dennis, a 38-year-old resident of Arizona, has been handed an 18-year prison sentence after admitting to second-degree murder. The victim of this tragic incident was his newly married wife, Aliccia Grant, aged 37. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office reported that the incident, which took place in Phoenix, was the culmination of a disagreement over an annulment.
The horrific event transpired in the early morning of September 9. Police were alerted to a situation at a Home Depot in north Phoenix after witnesses heard a woman’s desperate pleas for help. Upon their arrival, officers found Grant in the driver’s seat of a red Toyota Prius, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Dennis, who was in the passenger seat, managed to escape after a brief scuffle with a bystander.
First responders immediately attended to Grant’s injuries. In what prosecutors referred to as a “dying declaration,” she identified Dennis as her assailant. Despite being rushed to the hospital, medical professionals were unable to save her life.
In an unexpected twist, Dennis himself dialed 911 shortly after the incident, confessing to the stabbing of his wife. He also disclosed the location of the murder weapon to the police, which was later retrieved.
Further investigations revealed that the couple had recently tied the knot and were in the middle of a disagreement about an annulment at the time of the stabbing. This information was corroborated by the prosecutors.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell expressed her indignation over the crime, stating, “This wasn’t just a violent crime — it was an act of betrayal carried out by someone who should have been a source of safety, not fear.” She underscored the brutality of a murder occurring within a relationship that should be based on trust and pledged to continue holding violent domestic abusers accountable.
Grant, a mother of two, was remembered by friends for her “endlessly hopeful energy,” according to a GoFundMe page set up in her memory. The page described her as a self-made entrepreneur, cosmetologist, author, and model, and highlighted her story of perseverance and belief in herself.