Arizona Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Stabbing Girlfriend 22 Times, Striking Her Children

Tyler Riddle, 34, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stabbing Erin Hume 22 times in her Mesa home. Her children were injured trying to protect her.

Arizona Man Gets 15 Years for 22-Stab Attack on Girlfriend While Her Kids Watched

An Arizona man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after stabbing his girlfriend 22 times in her home while her children slept, Law & Crime reports.

Tyler Riddle, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and two counts of child abuse following the August 2025 attack. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced the sentence in a press release Tuesday.

Victim Erin Hume addressed the court directly, describing the assault in her own words. "He may have thought that stabbing me 22 times would be the end of my story," Hume told the court. "Instead I am standing here today, alive, speaking for myself, speaking for my children, and refusing to let what he did become the definition of who I am."

Hume said Riddle had become "abusive over time" and showed "absolutely no mercy to me that night." She told local NBC affiliate KPNX that Riddle had been using drugs, including psychedelics, on the night of the attack. "He Ubered to my house, and I knew he was coming," she recalled. "And I told him, 'Hey, be quiet. My kids are going to sleep. Don't cause any issues.'"

When Mesa police arrived, they found Hume covered in blood with multiple stab wounds, including a laceration across her throat, according to the attorney's office.

Her two children were home at the time. Woken by screaming, they witnessed Riddle striking their mother and intervened — and were punched in the face by Riddle in response, prosecutors said. Her 12-year-old son then called 911, telling a dispatcher that his mother was bleeding and that her boyfriend was still in the home.

"I would be dead if he didn't call the police, like 100%," Hume said of her son.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell credited the children's intervention and law enforcement's swift response with saving Hume's life. "Thanks to the bravery of her kids and the quick response by the Mesa police officers who arrived at the scene, this victim survived her attack and can find a measure of peace knowing this defendant has been held accountable," Mitchell said in a statement.

Source: Law & Crime