The little girl suffered injuries while trying to stop her father from hurting her mom and had to undergo surgery.
It's not uncommon for men to not know how to express their negative emotions. Instead of letting their emotions out, they bottle it up, eventually exploding in rage. This behavior can create many problems between couples and when it goes unchecked, it can lead to something from where there is no returning. People sometimes snap and say things or do things that cause so much harm that the bond is broken irreparably. However, one married father-of-2 got so angry that he ended up harming his wife in a way she can never recover from.
A Utah man was charged with murder for reportedly stabbing his wife to death in front of their two young children, who tried to save their mom from their monster dad. One of the kids also got injured while trying to save their mom.
John Weston Erickson, 41, of Midvale, was charged on November 3 with murder, a first-degree felony; child abuse, a second-degree felony; and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, third-degree felonies. He is in the Salt Lake County jail without bail, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The incident took place on October 28, the Unified Police Department arrived after receiving a domestic violence call right after 6 p.m. A neighbor of the Ericksons called the police when John's 11-year-old boy ran over exclaiming that his father was trying to kill his mom, Utahna Halona Erickson, according to a criminal complaint obtained by People.
Officers arrived to find blood outside their home and the boy and his 7-year-old sister at the neighbor’s house. The little girl had "blood on her face, clothes and severe cuts on her hand," according to the complaint. The children saw their father attack their mom Utahna and tried to stop him but weren't able to. "[She] said she tried to stop her father, John Weston Erickson, from killing her mother," the complaint states. "It was my dad that made it happen,” the boy told police, according to the complaint.
Utahna, 41, reportedly screamed for help from her bedroom and the 7-year-old ran to her mom's aid when she saw her father on top of her. He had a knife in his hand and was "cutting my mom open," the child told the police. The young girl tried to get the knife away from her father but was injured in the process. She got hurt deeply and had to undergo surgery.
"[She] suffered extensive injury to her fingers which required surgery to repair," according to the complaint. Unable to stop her father and injured, she ran dripping blood to get her brother. "[Her brother] kicked and punched [Erickson] and then ran for help," the complaint stated.
The boy went to alert the neighbors and when the police arrived they found the 41-year-old man in the master bedroom with a knife on his chest. He tried to kill himself and had cuts on his neck and wrists. Utahna was fatally stabbed and she was lying on the floor next to the bed.
John confessed and told the police his wife was dead and "I meant for that." "I just f****** snapped," he told officers, according to the complaint. "One of the sweetest people around took the brunt of my rage," he added.
You can help the victim's family by donating to the fundraiser on GiveLively.
For anonymous, confidential help, 24/7, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).
References:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/11/10/utah-man-charged-with/
https://people.com/crime/2-kids-tried-fight-dad-allegedly-stabbed-mom/
