TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — JJ Dasher was sound asleep in his Taylorsville home Tuesday morning, when something stirred him awake, he said.
“I kind of half opened my eyes," said JJ. "And there was a figure just standing right over our bed.”
At first, he thought he was dreaming.
“I immediately just flew out of bed, screaming and started punching him, but at the same time, he's stabbing me," said JJ.
JJ was stabbed twelve times, and his right lung collapsed he said.
Then, the attacker turned on his wife, Ashley.
“I screamed at her to run," said JJ. "She ran out of the house towards the neighbors. He was still stabbing her as she was running all the way to the neighbor's porch, still stabbing her.”
Luckily, Ashley’s screams woke up the Hathaways next door.
“She came screaming, and that’s what woke us up," said Chad Hathaway. "So we jumped out of bed, immediately called 911.”
Police arrived within a minute, and the attacker fled. An hour later, officers took a 15-year-old boy into custody. Ashley would have died on her neighbors' porch if they hadn’t acted so fast, she said.
“If they weren't there, things would be so different," said Ashley. "But, really thankful for them.”
Every night the Dashers lock their front door before going to bed, except for this past Monday; the 15 teen just let himself inside their home because the door was unlocked, said JJ.
“Turned out, we forgot that night," he said. "But now we're going to definitely be more diligent, probably set up some more security.”
After being in the hospital for more than two days, the Dashers just want to be with their 10-year-old son.
“He’s nonverbal autistic, and luckily he just slept through it," said JJ. "Even though it was extremely loud.”
If JJ could talk to the teen who randomly decided to attack him and his wife, he would just ask one question: why?
“I don't think I'm mad at him," he said. "It must be an unfortunate situation. I don't know if it's mental health issues, abusive household, I don't know.”
With JJ on the mend, he may be discharged as early as Thursday night. Ashley will likely stay in the hospital for a few more days. The Dashers have started a GoFundMe to cover the medical costs for their surgeries.
