Background: A section of the 700 block of South Arthur Avenue in Pocatello, Idaho (Google Maps). Inset: Marita Gonzales (Bannock County Sheriff”s Office).
In a terrifying incident in Pocatello, Idaho, a mother was confronted with a nightmare when she stumbled upon a woman attacking her daughter with a knife in their own home. Authorities have identified the assailant as 32-year-old Marita Gonzales, who now faces serious charges including attempted murder and aggravated battery, according to the Pocatello Police Department. Gonzales is currently held at the Bannock County Jail.
The shocking event unfolded on a quiet Sunday evening at an apartment on the 700 block of South Arthur Avenue, in Pocatello, a community of approximately 60,000 residents situated in the southeastern region of the state. The incident began after the 32-year-old victim invited Gonzales, whom she had recently connected with online, to her home. The victim shared the apartment with her 49-year-old mother, as reported by the Idaho State Journal.
At approximately 10 p.m., the tranquility of the night was shattered when the mother heard alarming noises coming from her daughter’s room. Upon investigation, she was met with a horrifying scene: her daughter was being viciously stabbed. The assailant, later confirmed to be Gonzales, inflicted 18 wounds on the young woman before turning the knife on the mother, slashing her face. Gonzales then fled the scene.
Police officers arrived promptly in response to the emergency call. They found the younger victim, unclothed and drenched in blood, with injuries across her face, head, neck, and hands. She was immediately rushed to a local hospital for urgent care before being airlifted to a medical facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, roughly 160 miles away. Thankfully, her condition was stabilized following treatment.
She reportedly heard a commotion in her daughter’s bedroom and, upon entering, saw someone stabbing her daughter 18 times. The suspect — later identified as Gonzales — then allegedly cut the mother in the face with the knife before running from the home.
Law enforcement was called, and Pocatello police officers responded to the home to find the younger stabbing victim nude, covered in blood, with stab wounds all across her face, head, neck, and hands, the court records stated. She was transported to a local hospital before being airlifted about 160 miles south to a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, where police reported her as being in stable condition after treatment.
The mother was brought to the local hospital, where she was treated and released, according to authorities.
The Pocatello Police Department said on Monday that it was looking for an “unknown male assailant” described as being “approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, short hair, wearing a hat and a dark jacket.” However, investigators reportedly saw surveillance footage of the daughter and a person entering a store about an hour before the incident, eventually helping them identify their suspect as Gonzales.
She was arrested on Tuesday. According to the Idaho State Journal, she appeared in court on Wednesday and was ordered to be held on a $1 million bond.
