Police say a mentally challenged woman who lives alone in Phoenix fought off a knife-wielding attacker and managed to break his knife in two.
Phoenix police report that on Jan. 20 a woman called police saying she had been cut by a friend. Police say at the hospital immediately before being wheeled into surgery the victim informed officers that her neck was cut by her friend "Daniel."
The adult woman, who is self-sufficient and lives alone, reportedly told her mother that she met Daniel while working at a retirement facility.
Police say, Daniel, later identified as 23-year-old Daniel Marquez, would often visit a couple of people at the retirement facility where his mother worked.
He and the victim became friends, and on the night of Jan. 20, he went over to her home and is accused of sexually assaulting and attempting to kill her.
The suspect allegedly cut the woman's neck and hands multiple times while she attempted to force him off. At one point, police say, the victim broke the knife in two, causing Marquez to panic and flee the home without his clothes.
It was the victim’s mother who found Marquez’s phone number on the victim’s phone. Police were able to link the number to Marquez. Police contacted and arrested him on March 24.
Marquez allegedly admitted to police that he planned to go to the victim's home to murder her. "His plan was to give her a massage to relax her, then cut her throat," police say.
He was surprised the victim survived the attack.
Marquez is being held on a $500,000 cash bond and has been charged with attempted first-degree murder.
