Newlywed Bride Fatally Stabbed in Home Depot Parking Lot Used Her Last Words to ID Husband as Killer

An Arizona man convicted of fatally stabbing his newlywed wife in a Home Depot parking lot in 2024 has been sentenced.

On Monday, Aug. 18, Stephen Dennis, 36, received 18 years in prison for the murder of his wife, Aliccia Grant, 37, a mother of two, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced.

Earlier this year, Dennis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

“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,” Mitchell said. “There is something especially cruel about a murder that takes place within a relationship that’s intended to be built on trust. We will continue to aggressively pursue and hold violent domestic abusers accountable.”

The shocking crime occurred in the early morning hours of Sept. 9, 2024, when Phoenix Police responded to a report of a stabbing outside a Home Depot in north Phoenix.

“Witnesses walking nearby heard a woman screaming for help and discovered the victim in the driver’s seat of a red Prius with multiple stab wounds,” Mitchell said.

Dennis, who had been in the front passenger seat, exited the vehicle, argued with a bystander, and then fled on foot after taking a bag from the car, witnesses told police, according to Mitchell’s release.

Witnesses and responding officers provided aid to Grant.

“As one of the officers continued to apply pressure to the victim’s wounds, the victim made a dying declaration identifying Dennis as her attacker,” Mitchell said.

Grant was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Shortly after the stabbing, Dennis called 911 and admitted to the crime, Mitchell said. He also led authorities to the murder weapon, which was recovered.

Dennis told police the couple had recently married and were in discussions about an annulment at the time of the incident, Mitchell added.

As Dennis begins his sentence at the Arizona Department of Corrections, Grant’s family continues to mourn her loss.

A GoFundMe page created to help cover funeral expenses and support Grant’s two children, ages 10 and 16, shared a tribute: “Although Aliccia was taken from us far too soon, her endlessly hopeful energy left a permanent mark of inspiration on all of us who knew and loved her.

“She will be remembered as a loving daughter, sister, cousin, and friend, but most of all as a wonderful mom to her two beloved kids.”