Bride Fatally Stabbed Outside Home Depot Used Her Last Words to Identify Attacker

On the morning of September 9, 2024, what should have been the beginning of a married couple’s new life together devolved into tragedy.

A newlywed bride, Aliccia Grant, 37, was sitting in the driver’s seat of a red Prius in a Home Depot parking lot in Phoenix when her husband, Stephen Dennis, 36, fatally stabbed her.

Witness Accounts and Her Final Words

Eyewitnesses heard her screams and rushed to help. Officers found Grant gravely wounded inside the car.

Even as she was losing consciousness, she managed to utter her husband’s name—an identification that would prove critical. Investigators called those moments her “dying declaration,” a final act of clarity amid chaos.

Killer Confesses, Weapon Recovered

Shortly after fleeing the scene on foot, Dennis placed a 911 call to confess.

He directed police to the murder weapon, greatly accelerating the investigation. His admission, combined with her eyewitness identification, sealed the case against him.

Motive: A Marriage in Crisis

Just married and already on the brink of a split, the couple were reportedly in the midst of discussing an annulment.

The emotional and legal pressure of separating so soon after their wedding created a combustible situation from which tragedy emerged.

Justice and Accountability

In court, Stephen Dennis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year.

On August 18, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell spoke of betrayal in her sentencing comments, emphasizing that domestic violence from someone who should have provided safety, not fear, is especially cruel.

A Family Mourns, Community Responds

Aliccia was a devoted mother of two—aged 10 and 16—and was remembered by her family as endlessly hopeful and loving. In their grief, they established a GoFundMe campaign to aid with funeral expenses and secure their children’s future.

The community rallied around the family’s call—not just for help, but for awareness and change.

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