A California man, Garrett Scott Headrick, aged 27, is facing a lengthy prison sentence for a heinous assault on his pregnant ex-wife, an incident that unfolded before the eyes of her three young children in Arizona last year.

This Wednesday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Warren J. Granville sentenced Headrick to 21 years in a state prison. The sentencing followed Headrick’s guilty plea to charges of attempted second-degree intentional murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, and stalking that incited a reasonable fear of death, according to court records.

The plea deal led to the dismissal of six other charges that had been filed against him.

The chilling events, detailed in a news release from the county prosecutor’s office, began on October 19, 2024. Headrick drove from California to Surprise, Arizona, targeting his ex-wife’s home near Greenway and Dysart Roads.

Prosecutors recounted the terrifying scene, stating that Headrick intercepted his ex-wife and her children as they were about to leave for a soccer game. Armed with a metal bar, he forced them back inside and launched a brutal physical attack on his ex-wife in front of her children. The assault escalated within the home, where Headrick repeatedly hit and restrained her, issuing threats on her life. In a particularly harrowing moment, he dragged her into the kitchen, brandished a knife, and attempted to strangle her.

Describing the attack as an “ambush,” prosecutors emphasized the extent of Headrick’s violence, noting how he “dragged” the victim by her hair and subjected her to slapping, strangling, and an attempted stabbing—all within the traumatic view of her children, as previously described by authorities.

Police officers responded to a 911 call to the home and, after forcing their way into the residence, said they found Headrick “on top of the victim with his hands around her throat and slamming her head into the ground.”

Officers intervened using nonlethal rounds and were able to stop the attack before placing Headrick under arrest inside the home.

The victim, who has not been identified, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of “significant cuts to her hands, scratch and cut marks around her neck, and a brain bleed on the back of her head.”

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell released a statement regarding the incident and subsequent arrest.

“Domestic violence is about power and control, and it leaves lasting scars on victims and families,” she said in the statement. “This case is a reminder that abusers will go to extreme lengths to intimidate and harm. My office, we will continue to stand with survivors, hold offenders fully accountable, and work every day to break the cycle of violence in our community.”