Arizona Man Stabs Woman 19 Times After Minor Vehicle Crash, Claims He Was Being 'Stalked'

A man in Arizona has been charged with second-degree murder after he brutally beat up a woman and stabbed her 19 times following a minor car crash. According to authorities, the attack happened without provocation. The incident occurred in a Burger King Parking lot on February 20.

A 30-year-old man from Arizona, identified as Joseph Seller, is charged with second-degree murder after he stabbed and brutally beat a woman following a minor car crash, according to authorities.

The woman had pulled over to exchange details with a man who had been involved in a minor crash with her. Authorities said the attack was without provocation.

The woman as a result of the attack, suffered a collapsed lung and was immediately hospitalized. Court documents obtained by Law&Crime noted that the victim had 19 “individual stab wounds, around a half inch in length on her face, neck, left torso, causing serious and disfiguring injury to the victim.”

After the attack, Seller allegedly fled the state. Police arrested him in Las Vegas.

Seller and the woman had pulled over near the Mesa Burger King, Seller told police, according to the probable cause affidavit of his arrest. The document also noted that the victim, stabbed 19 times, was found in a condition described as “brutally beaten and severely bleeding”, after the minor vehicle crash. The affidavit mentioned that Seller was angry about the crash.

“The defendant stated he was angry about the coalition and believed he was being gang stalked,” according to Seller’s arrest affidavit.

“He pulled over to exchange information, when the victim reached into her purse, and he knew Arizona to be an 'open carry state' so he began punching the victim multiple times. The attack lasted anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute, matching surveillance of the incident.”

According to the affidavit, Seller admitted that, “it was reasonable that she may have been attempting to grab her information for him.”

“He admitted he intended to harm the victim, and had taken her cellphone afterwards in an attempt to identify if she was following him, even though they were going in opposite directions during the side swipe collision,” the document said.

Local police said the victim had a broken tooth and was bleeding profusely from her face, neck and chest when they arrived. They found the victim, whose identity has not been revealed, in the parking lot. Authorities immediately transported her to a hospital.

The affidavit noted that she attempted to call police while bleeding after the attacker had fled, but she found that her cellphone was missing. She, however, contacted authorities using her watch.

Seller, in addition to second-degree murder, was also charged with armed robbery and burglary. Seller’s preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 2.