A 15-year-old boy is in custody after police say he broke into a Taylorsville home early Tuesday and stabbed a couple in their bed in what officials called a “random act of violence.”
Police were called to the home near 3400 South and 4800 West shortly before 4 a.m. The homeowners — a man and a woman in their late 30s or early 40s — did not know the suspect, according to police.
“They were woken in bed to the 15-year-old male inside the home,” Taylorsville police spokesperson Sgt. Jake Hill said. Police said Wednesday that investigators believe the teenager entered through an unlocked door.
The suspect first went inside the couple’s bedroom and stabbed the man multiple times while he laid in bed, police said. The woman then “took off running out of the house,” Hill said, and the teen followed her, stabbing her several times on her neighbor’s front porch.
The neighbor called 911 about the same time the male homeowner also dialed 911, police said. The 15-year-old ran from the scene before police arrived, but was taken into custody “without incident” a short time later at a nearby construction site.
“At this point, we believe it’s just a completely random act,” Hill said. “There’s no relationship or ties between either of the homeowners or the home and the juvenile male.”
Both victims, whose names have not been released, were taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. On Wednesday, police said they were stable and expected to survive. A child who lives in the home was not injured, police said, and “apparently had no contact or encounter with the juvenile suspect.”
The 15-year-old, whose name has not been released, lives in West Valley City. He was booked into a juvenile detention facility on Tuesday on suspicion of assault and burglary, both felonies. Hill said prosecutors are investigating whether or not to charge the teen in adult court.
