An Arizona man was arrested after he allegedly stabbed his fiancée in the neck and face with a pair of scissors just weeks before they planned to get married.
Zachary Velasquez has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the alleged attack, according to a probable cause statement viewed by Us.
Police said that the victim’s 11-year-old daughter called 911 on October 5 to say she was worried about her parents after she heard screaming.
“Officers had to make forced entry into the bedroom after hearing the victim yelling from inside the bedroom,” police wrote in the probable cause statement. “The victim advised officers the defendant was trying to kill her. Upon entering the bedroom, officers observed the victim laying down on her back covered in blood.”
Police said that the victim was bleeding from the neck when first responders got to the scene. The victim claimed to police that Velasquez had been using methamphetamine at the time of the attack, and he allegedly “advised her he was a prophet and tried to kill her in order to save her.”
Following the alleged attack, the woman was identified as Emily Byles in a GoFundMe that was set up to help her with medical bills.
Byles suffered an injury to her vertebral artery following the attack, and she was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Surgery was then required in light of her injuries.
“I am creating this fundraiser for myself and my two daughters after surviving a violent assault that changed our lives in an instant. 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,” Byles wrote in the fundraiser’s description.
Byles said that her home was “left unlivable” following the assault, “with too much blood to even clean up.”
“I lost my belongings, and my girls and I have been separated. Right now I am staying with a friend while I recover from stitches in my face, and my daughters are staying safely out of town with my sister while I heal,” she wrote. “My fiancé, the person who attacked me, is now in jail, but my children and I are still living with the trauma of what happened.”
Byles also spoke to Fox 10 about the incident, explaining that the attack happened one month before the couple was set to get married.
After she underwent surgery, Byles claimed to police that Velasquez threatened to kill her during the alleged attack. Velasquez allegedly went on to say that it was in God’s plan for Byles to die, according to police.
When Velasquez was arrested, he allegedly said he put Byles in a chokehold and punched her in self-defense.
It is not currently clear if Velasquez has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Glendale Police Department had no additional updates to share when contacted by Us about the case.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
