PHOENIX — A Valley man who admitted to fatally stabbing his wife in a north Phoenix Home Depot parking lot was sentenced to 18 years in prison, prosecutors announced Monday.
Stephen Dennis, 36, pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder in the killing of his wife, 37-year-old Aliccia Grant, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He was formally sentenced Friday.
Deadly confrontation after talk of annulment
The attack happened just after midnight on Sept. 9, 2024, near Cactus and Cave Creek roads. Prosecutors said the couple had recently married and were discussing an annulment when Dennis stabbed Grant multiple times while she sat inside a Toyota Prius.
Witnesses reported hearing Grant scream for help before seeing Dennis in the passenger seat. He then exited the car, argued with a bystander, grabbed a bag, and ran from the scene.
Victim identified husband before dying
Bystanders rushed to help Grant until Phoenix police officers arrived. Before being taken to a hospital, she identified Dennis as her attacker. She later died from her injuries.
Authorities said Dennis later called 911 to confess, providing his location so officers could arrest him.
“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,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement.
Dennis will serve his sentence in state prison, with credit for time already spent in custody.
