A newlywed bride who was fatally knifed outside a Home Depot used her dying breath to identify her killer – her husband.
Aliccia Grant, 37, had just tied the knot with Stephen Dennis, 36, when he stabbed her multiple times as the pair sat in their red Prius in the store’s parking lot in north Phoenix, Arizona.
Authorities say the couple, who had recently wed, were discussing annulling their marriage when Dennis turned violent.
Grant, a mother of two, was found bleeding in the driver’s seat by horrified witnesses who heard her desperate screams for help in the early hours of September 9, 2024.
As officers frantically tried to stop the bleeding, she made a chilling ‘dying declaration’ – naming Dennis as her attacker.
She was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Dennis fled on foot after the stabbing, grabbing a bag from the car and arguing with a bystander before running from the scene.
Shortly afterward, he called 911 and admitted to the killing, also telling officers where they could find the murder weapon.
On Monday, August 18, 2025, Dennis was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell condemned the attack as a particularly cruel crime.
‘This wasn’t just a violent crime – it was an act of betrayal carried out by someone who should have been a source of safety, not fear,’ Mitchell said in a statement.
‘There is something especially cruel about a murder that takes place within a relationship that’s intended to be built on trust. We will continue to aggressively pursue and hold violent domestic abusers accountable.’
Mitchell also detailed the shocking scene: ‘Witnesses walking nearby heard a woman screaming for help and discovered the victim in the driver’s seat of a red Prius with multiple stab wounds.’
Grant’s declaration before she died sealed her killer’s fate.
‘As one of the officers continued to apply pressure to the victim’s wounds, the victim made a dying declaration identifying Dennis as her attacker,’ Mitchell said.
Grant’s family is now left to raise her two children, now ages nine and 15, without her.
A GoFundMe has been set up to cover funeral expenses and to support the children’s future.
Her loved ones described her as a woman who lived life with hope, energy, and ambition.
‘Although Aliccia was taken from us far too soon, her endlessly hopeful energy left a permanent mark of inspiration on all of us who knew and loved her,’ her family wrote in the description of the GoFundMe.
‘She will be remembered as a loving daughter, sister, cousin, and friend, but most of all as a wonderful mom to her two beloved kids.
‘Aliccia saw no dream as too big. She chased hers with open eyes and a full heart. She was a self-made entrepreneur, cosmetologist, author, and model. Her story is one of perseverance and the power of believing in yourself.’
Her family added that donations have already helped them hold a ‘celebration of life that truly captured the beauty that Aliccia brought into this world,’ and said the next focus would be ensuring care and education for her children.
‘During this very tough time, we choose not to be reminded of her passing, but instead, we celebrate the way she lived her life. We thank everyone for your outpouring of love. It means the world to us.’