An Arizona man was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars after he admitted to stabbing his girlfriend 22 times as her kids tried to protect her.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced in a press release on Tuesday, October 13, that Tyler Riddle had been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and two counts of child abuse.
The attack took place in August 2025 when Riddle, 34, showed up to his then-girlfriend Erin Hume’s residence and attacked her while her two sons were home. Hume said that her children were also injured as they tried to protect her from Riddle.
The attorney’s office said that Hume’s 12-year-old called 911 and reported “that his mother was bleeding and that her boyfriend … was in their home.”
“I would be dead if he didn’t call the police, like 100 percent,” Hume told KPNX of the attack, adding that Riddle was using drugs on the night that he attacked her.
“He Ubered to my house, and I knew he was coming,” Hume said. “And I told him, ‘Hey, be quiet. My kids are going to sleep. You know, don’t cause any issues.'”
By the time that police responded to the home, they found Hume “covered in blood” with multiple stab wounds and lacerations “across her throat.” Authorities spoke to her two children, who said they were “woken up by screaming” and witnessed Riddle punching Hume.
“They attempted to help their mother during the attack but were struck in the face by the defendant,” the attorney’s office said in the news release.
Hume bravely reflected on the experience in court, saying that Riddle had “absolutely no mercy to me that night” after he became “abusive over time.”
“He may have thought that stabbing me 22 times would be the end of my story, instead I am standing here today, alive, speaking for myself, speaking for my children, and refusing to let what he did become the definition of who I am,” she said.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also took time to thank those who helped with the case. “Thanks to the bravery of her kids and the quick response by the Mesa police officers who arrived at the scene, this victim survived her attack and can find a measure of peace knowing this defendant has been held accountable,” Mitchell said in the press release.
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.
