Arizona Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Fatally Stabbing Wife During Argument Over Annulment

Left: Stephen Dennis. Right: Aliccia Grant

An Arizona man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after admitting to fatally stabbing his newlywed wife during a dispute over ending their marriage.

Stephen Dennis, 38, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his wife, 37-year-old Aliccia Grant. According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, police responded to a Home Depot parking lot in north Phoenix in the early hours of September 9 after witnesses reported hearing a woman scream for help.

Officers arrived to find Grant in the driver’s seat of a red Toyota Prius suffering from multiple stab wounds. Dennis, who had been in the passenger seat, exited the vehicle and fled after briefly confronting a bystander. As officers began treating her injuries, Grant made a dying declaration and identified Dennis as her attacker.

She was transported to a hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later. Shortly after the attack, Dennis called 911 and confessed to stabbing his wife, according to prosecutors. He also told police where the weapon could be found, and it was later recovered.

Dennis told investigators that the couple had recently married and were arguing about an annulment at the time of the attack.

“This wasn’t just a violent crime — it was an act of betrayal carried out by someone who should have been a source of safety, not fear,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “There is something especially cruel about a murder that takes place within a relationship that’s intended to be built on trust.”

Grant is survived by two children. Friends remembered her for her optimism and determination, describing her as a self-made entrepreneur, cosmetologist, author, and model whose life was marked by perseverance.