Colorado man sentenced to 40 years for random stabbings, including 7-year-old at Walmart

Luke Barkhaus, 33, attacked three strangers in Parker, Colorado, including a child shopping for candy. He told police he did it "for the rush."

Colorado man gets 40 years for random stabbing spree that injured child at Walmart

A Colorado man was sentenced this week to 40 years in prison for a string of random stabbings in January 2025 that left three people injured, including a 7-year-old boy who was slashed in the back of the head inside a Walmart, Law & Crime reports.

Luke Barkhaus, 33, of Parker, Colorado, pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and two counts of first-degree assault. According to prosecutors, he carried out the attacks "for the rush" and to "see what it was like" to stab someone.

"This malevolent menace said that he stabbed those innocent victims because he wanted to see what it was like to do it," District Attorney George Brauchler, of the 23rd Judicial District, said in a statement Monday. "There is no fixing someone like this. There is only protecting our community from him. This is why we build prisons."

An arrest affidavit obtained by Law & Crime outlines three separate attacks. Barkhaus first stabbed a restaurant employee, then approximately an hour later attacked a worker inside a Dollar Tree, and finally slashed the child inside a Walmart.

The 7-year-old was at the store with his mother and a sibling. The family had been shopping for about 30 minutes when the mother told her children they could pick out candy near the checkout area. The boy was looking for a Push Pop when Barkhaus approached from behind without warning.

"He heard [Barkhaus'] footsteps approach him when he was picking out candy," the affidavit states. The child initially told his mother, "This man just punched me," referring to a male suspect who was already running away. Moments later, the boy began bleeding from the side of his head and the mother screamed that her son had been stabbed.

According to local ABC affiliate KMGH, Barkhaus told a court hearing in January 2025 that he "would have continued to do it" to others had police not arrested him. Prosecutors noted he has an extensive criminal history along with a history of substance abuse and mental health problems. Brauchler said Barkhaus "blamed his actions on years of huffing."

All three victims recovered from their injuries.

Source: Law & Crime