TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — The 15-year-old boy accused of entering the home of a random Taylorsville family and stabbing a man and woman allegedly told police he was "trying to hurt someone."
During a court appearance Monday, the teenager was charged with two counts of attempted aggravated murder, and one count each of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.
New details in the documents show what led up to the stabbing of J.J. and Ashley Dasher during the overnight hours on Sept. 20.
The Dashers were sleeping in the Taylorsville home when the teen broke in just before 4 a.m. and began stabbing the couple. J.J. was stabbed 11 times and suffered a collapsed right lung, before the boy chased after Ashley as she ran to a neighbor's home and began stabbing her 24 times.
Both Dashers were hospitalized. They told FOX 13 News on Monday that Ashley had been released from the hospital, and they are both expected to make full recoveries.
"Right now we're picking up the pieces, trying to get our lives back on track. It will be a long road, but we're optimistic," they wrote in a message to FOX 13 News.
Police say the 15-year-old left the area after stabbing the couple and was later located with blood on his hands, shoes and clothing. When arrested, documents say the boy told police, “I just got caught” and “I was trying to hurt someone and ran away.”
The teen said he woke up after 1 a.m. that morning and claimed he wanted to hurt someone, then "went to the kitchen shaking, shivering, and freaking out." He said he got ready like he was going to school and took his father's pocketknife and a large kitchen knife.
Charging documents say the boy wandered around the neighborhood trying to open people's doors before finding an open door at the Dasher's house. When confronted by J.J., the teen began to "shank" the couple.
Seeing police were after him, the boy told officers that he realized "what he did was wrong and needed to turn himself in." He added that he "just had to kill [the Dashers]," according to documents.
Ashley underwent surgery to repair lacerations on her wrist, hand, and elbow. She sustained abdominal wounds, had a splenic injury, injury to her peritoneum, left diaphragm, a bilateral pneumothorax (collapsed lungs), a spleen laceration, hypotension, and moderate respiratory distress.
