A Stalker in Utah Stabbed His Ex-Girlfriend in Her Car. Then, He Drove Off with Her 4-Year-Old Niece.

A man in Utah could spend his life behind bars after he stabbed his ex-girlfriend as part of a “ruse” before driving off with her 4-year-old niece, according to authorities.

On Dec. 9, 2022, Jonathan Wuanloxten-Hidalgo lured the victim by asking her for a ride in Midvale, police said.

At then time of the incident, the victim told police she and Wuanloxten-Hidalgo had broken up a month earlier, and Wuanloxten-Hidalgo had “been stalking her ever since,” police documents show.

Wuanloaxten-Hidalgo refused to exit her vehicle and about three houses away from her mother’s house, he pulled out a knife and started stabbing her, officials said.

The woman accelerated, stopped in front of her mother’s home and tried to get out of the vehicle. However, Wuanloxten-Hidalgo pulled her back in by the hair and covered her mouth, authorities said.

According to police, Wuanloxten-Hidalgo stabbed the woman multiple times in an “effort to kill her while a [4-year-old] was watching from the back seat of the vehicle.”

Wuanloxten-Hidalgo drove off with the woman’s 4-year-old niece still in the vehicle, sparking an AMBER Alert.

While on the run, Wuanloxten-Hidalgo called a friend and told them, “I killed her, I killed her! I’m running.” After receiving the AMBER Alert, the friend alerted police.

Police were able to locate the girl later that night unharmed.

On Jan. 12, Wuanloxten-Hidalgo was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 3 years to life for a count each of attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, KSTU reported.

During the sentencing, the woman reportedly said in a victim impact statement, “I feel unsafe wherever I am. I cannot sleep well at night because I always dream about what happened in this incident.”

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Prosecutor Blithe Cravens noted of the case: “The amount of blood loss that [the victim] suffered, it is frankly amazing that she is here today to speak in front of the court."

The victim reportedly was stabbed six to seven times and her artery was cut in the brutal attack.

Officials said the defendant is not a U.S. citizen, and he faces deportation to Venezuela if he is paroled.