A father of two was nearly decapitated in front of his wife and left in critical condition by an axe-wielding menace as the couple were in the middle of a cross-country trip home — one year after their son’s death.
Jacob Couch, 32, was sitting on a bus stop bench with his wife Kristen in Tuscon, Arizona when 25-year-old Daniel Michael confronted the pair on April 5.
Michael was allegedly carrying a hatchet through Tuscon’s downtown area and began yelling at the couple, KOLD reported, citing court records.
“Seeing your husband get almost decapitated and being the only one to help like it’s, hard,” Kristen Couch told the outlet.
She recalled telling the stranger they were just leaving as her husband bent down to grab their bags when Michael launched his horrific attack.
“I’m still in shock,” Kristen Couch said.
The ruthless brute cut an artery in Couch’s neck in half and struck his skull.
The bloody attack took place a mile from the University of Arizona.
Couch was rushed to nearby Banner University Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and was placed on life support.
His family fears he won’t survive his injuries after doctors diagnosed him with an anoxic brain injury caused when the brain is deprived of oxygen for an extended period.
“He’s not expected to make it right now,” Couch’s younger brother Luke said outside the hospital days after the attack. “We’ve just been taking it how we can.”
The couple, who had been married for 11 years, had been living in Los Angeles for nearly a year after the stillbirth of their son in May 2024.
“We were coming home because we just couldn’t get it together like we just needed our family,” Kristen said.
The two were on their way home to Arab, Ala. where their 13- and 15-year-old daughters were waiting for them.
They had been traveling by bus and were waiting at 6 Avenue and Broadway station for the next leg of their journey.
“He was a very non-confrontational person,” Kristen Couch said. “He wasn’t aggressive. He was kind, he was so kind.”
Michael was identified by police through security footage and was captured three days after the attack.
He admitted to being in the area but denied attacking Couch when police first questioned him.
Officials discovered a hatchet and the clothing worn by the attacker in Michael’s home.
The accused brute claimed to have been drinking and didn’t remember any contact with Couch.
Couch’s brother blasted the suspected attacker for his brutal actions.
“If you’re going downtown when you’re drunk carrying a large machete like that you have no other intentions other than to cause harm to somebody,” Luke Couch told KOLD. “He went down there looking for trouble and it just so happens to be my brother who is not going to make it home from this.”
Michael was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, the outlet reported, citing court records.
Officials also noted heavier charges will be filed if Couch succumbs to his injuries, including a state homicide charge.
Michael is being held in Pima County Jail on a $1 million bond, according to jail records.
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