Utah teen who stabbed sleeping couple woke up wanting to hurt someone, charges say

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — A 15-year-old boy accused of entering a Taylorsville home at random and stabbing a couple in their bed told police he woke up early that morning wanting to “hurt someone,” according to court records.

“When asked what he was thinking when he was stabbing them, he said that he just had to kill them,” police noted in charging documents.

The teen was charged late last week in 3rd District Juvenile Court with two counts of attempted aggravated murder, a second-degree felony; aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; and possession of a weapon by a minor, a class B misdemeanor. KSL.com is not naming the boy at this time.

The family’s nightmare encounter occurred on Sept. 20 when JJ and Ashely Dasher were asleep. Their young son was asleep in another room during the attack and not injured.

On that day, the 15-year-old told police he woke up between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. at his house wanting to hurt someone.

“He went to the kitchen shaking, shivering and freaking out. He stated he got ready like he was going to school, and he grabbed his father’s pocketknife and a large kitchen knife. (He) then said he left his home and began wandering and walking around trying to open people’s doors with the intent to hurt someone,” charging documents state.

The teenager was confronted by at least one person, prompting the boy to run away and hide the kitchen knife, the charges state. Eventually, police say he found an unlocked door about 3:30 a.m. at the Dasher residence. In the bathroom, he found a $20 bill and car keys and allegedly took them. He then went into a bedroom where the Dashers, both in their late 30s to early 40s, were sleeping.

JJ Dasher was awakened and asked the teen, “What are you doing?”

The teen later told police he then pulled out a pocket knife and began to “shank” the man and the woman, according to the charges. Dasher said he told his wife to run as the boy allegedly said, “Die.” Police say Ashley Dasher ran to a neighbor’s house and began “screaming and pounding” on the glass storm door as the boy continued to chase after her and attack her.

A woman inside the house yelled, “Leave her alone,” causing the boy to run off.

Ashley Dasher was stabbed 24 times and suffered numerous internal injures, the charges state. Her husband was stabbed 11 times, including “three large stab wounds to his upper chest” as well as stab wounds to his neck and shoulder. Police say both suffered life-threatening injuries but have since been released from the hospital, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser set up to help pay for medical expenses.

The 15-year-old boy told police that after he ran from the neighbor’s house, he went across the street to an area where new homes are being built and he hid in a window well.

“He eventually heard the police and K-9s and took off running again. (He) stated that when he saw police again, he realized what he did was wrong and needed to turn himself in,” the charges state.