A Minnesota man admitted to stabbing his wife and dragging her across their home because he believed she was cheating on him, and he will now pay the price for the crime.
Mehdi Badaoui was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison on Wednesday, June 3, after he pleaded guilty in March to attempted first-degree murder, the Dakota County Attorney’s Office confirmed in a statement.
Authorities learned of the crime when the Farmington Police Department responded to a home around 8:30 a.m. on April 15, 2025, after they received a call about a domestic assault, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit viewed by Law & Crime. Dispatchers reportedly heard a woman screaming as she claimed she had been stabbed and couldn’t move.
Officers entered the home and found Badaoui, 53, with blood on his hands, and the victim was found lying on her side while surrounded in blood. Police said that she suffered from 10 stab wounds on her body, including her neck and armpit.
The victim told police that her husband attacked her because he believed she was cheating on him. She called 911 after he stopped attacking her, and she claimed that he had beaten her and threatened to stab her on multiple occasions in the past.
The wife was then rushed to the hospital and underwent immediate surgery.
Officers spoke to family members about the incident, who said that they woke up to yelling and saw Badaoui stabbing his wife. The family members also said they saw him drag the victim through the kitchen and into a bedroom.
“Witness pleaded with Defendant to stop, but he stated he was going to kill Victim and go to jail,” police wrote in the affidavit.
After he was read his Miranda rights, Badaoui told authorities that he suspected his wife of cheating on him. He said he placed a GPS tracking device in her car and learned that she went to a place other than her work that morning. He then followed her to the location and confronted her about his suspicions.
Both the woman and Badaoui drove home and got into an argument. He told authorities that he picked up a knife and began “hitting” her with it after she started calling him names. Badaoui also admitted to stabbing his wife three or four times.
Police officers searched the home and found a bloody pocketknife on the kitchen counter.
Badaoui was then arrested and taken to the Dakota County Jail, where he has remained in custody ever since.
“This was a brutal act of domestic violence that could have resulted in a loss of life,” Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said in a statement following the sentencing. “Today’s sentencing reflects our commitment to victims and holding offenders accountable.”
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.
