Inset: Nathaniel S. Gotham during a court appearance (KSAZ). Background: The Arizona location where Gotham is accused of attempting to kill his wife (Google Maps).
An Arizona man is facing a serious felony charge after authorities say he stabbed his wife more than a dozen times and later told investigators he had “snapped,” wanted to “hurt her,” and wanted her to “stop talking.”
Nathaniel Scott Gotham, 32, was arrested over the weekend and charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
A probable cause affidavit states that Mesa police officers were called to the couple’s home at around 4:30 p.m. on July 11 after Gotham allegedly dialed 911 and admitted he had stabbed the victim.
When first responders arrived, they found the front door open. Inside, officers said they saw Gotham on top of his wife, who was lying facedown on the floor. Police wrote that he followed commands and surrendered without further incident.
Gotham was covered in blood but did not appear to be injured, according to investigators. His wife, however, was bleeding severely from multiple wounds. She was transported to a hospital, where doctors found 16 stab wounds to her back, as well as additional stab wounds and cuts to her head, neck and face. The affidavit also notes that she had defensive wounds on her hands.
Detectives reported finding blood across the entryway of the home, including on the floors and walls. While carrying out a search warrant, investigators recovered a knife from the kitchen floor that they described as covered in blood.
After waiving his Miranda rights, Gotham allegedly told investigators that he stabbed his wife “more than a dozen times.”
According to the affidavit, Gotham told detectives he “snapped” before retrieving what he described as a black-on-black steak knife from either a kitchen drawer or a knife block.
“When asked why he stabbed the victim, the suspect stated he wanted to hurt her and wanted her to stop talking,” police wrote in the affidavit. “According to the suspect, the victim pleaded with him to stop during the assault.”
During the attack, Gotham allegedly told his wife she had “wasted the best years of my life” and that he had “ended up with the wrong woman.”
Police said Gotham also admitted assaulting his wife years earlier by choking her during an argument. He described their relationship as “not good” and said they had been living in a “loveless marriage” despite being together for more than a decade and married for more than four years.
Gotham further claimed he had reached a breaking point and that “the monster came out,” though he later characterized that explanation as “a cop-out,” according to investigators.
After the stabbing, Gotham allegedly tried to contact his mother-in-law to apologize. He also called his own mother and said, “I f—ed up, I probably won’t see you again,” according to the affidavit.
Police said Gotham’s admissions, the physical evidence recovered from the home, the officers’ observations and the severity of the victim’s injuries established probable cause that he intentionally caused serious physical injury by repeatedly stabbing his wife with a knife.
A judge ordered Gotham held on $500,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on July 21. Records show that he is being held at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Maricopa County.
