Salt Lake City Man Allegedly Stabbed His Grandmother 111 Times
A Utah man stands accused of stabbing his grandmother 111 times, according to ABC News. Court documents reveal that, in addition to the multiple stab wounds he inflicted, the suspect also slit open the woman’s belly before removing several of her internal organs. At present, authorities have not publicly revealed the motive behind the vicious murder.
When police arrived at 84-year-old Joyce Dexter’s home on October 3, they discovered the woman’s grandson, 21-year-old Zachary Cole Weston, standing over his grandmother’s body while clutching a bloody knife. His hands and clothes were reportedly covered in blood as well. For his actions, Weston has been charged with aggravated murder.
According to the Deseret News, nine of the 111 stab wounds were delivered to the woman’s heart. Additionally, her grandson also used the knife at one point to slit her jugular. Sadly, this isn’t the first time Weston, who has a history of mental illness, has been associated with some sort of violence incident.
In 2010, the suspect was accused of pushing his mother, an act he followed up by striking an officer of the law. Weston ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of assault. As a result, he was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute at University Hospital. Sadly, things only got worse from there.
During the investigation into the man’s psychological well-being last August, Weston reportedly slapped a hospital employee before punching another in the face. Not surprisingly, the suspect was hit with two more assault charges which were compounded by the fact that he interfered with the police officer who responded to the crimes. On September 27, Weston was also charged with hitting his father during a domestic dispute.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill stated that he could not discuss what, exactly, prompted the suspect to allegedly stab his grandmother 111 times. However, Gill was quick to praise officers for responding to the call before Weston could flee the scene of the crime.
