Inset: Nathaniel S. Gotham appearing in court (KSAZ). Background: The area in Arizona where Gotham allegedly tried to kill his wife (Google Maps).
A 32-year-old husband in Arizona is accused of stabbing his wife more than a dozen times, telling authorities that he "snapped" and wanted to "hurt her" and make the victim "stop talking."
Nathaniel Scott Gotham was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, court records obtained by Law&Crime show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Mesa Police Department responded on July 11 to the couple's residence at about 4:30 p.m. after Gotham called 911 and confessed to stabbing the victim.
Upon arriving, first responders found the home's front door open and discovered Gotham mounted on top of his wife as she lay facedown on the floor. He complied with commands to surrender without incident, police wrote.
Officers found Gotham covered in blood but apparently uninjured. His wife, meanwhile, was bleeding heavily from numerous stab wounds. She was rushed to a hospital, where medical personnel determined she had suffered 16 stab wounds to her back, along with multiple stab wounds and lacerations to her head, neck and face. She also suffered defensive wounds to her hands, according to the affidavit.
Investigators described blood throughout the home's entryway, including on the floors and walls. During the execution of a search warrant, detectives recovered what they described as a blood-covered knife from the kitchen floor.
After waiving his Miranda rights, Gotham allegedly admitted he stabbed his wife "more than a dozen times."
According to the affidavit, Gotham told detectives he "snapped" before retrieving what he described as a black-on-black steak knife from either a kitchen drawer or a knife block.
"When asked why he stabbed the victim, the suspect stated he wanted to hurt her and wanted her to stop talking," police wrote in the affidavit. "According to the suspect, the victim pleaded with him to stop during the assault."
During the attack, Gotham allegedly told his wife she had "wasted the best years of my life" and that he had "ended up with the wrong woman."
Police said Gotham also admitted assaulting his wife years earlier by choking her during an argument. He described their relationship as "not good" and said they had been living in a "loveless marriage" despite being together for more than a decade and married for more than four years.
Gotham further claimed he had reached a breaking point and that "the monster came out," though he later characterized that explanation as "a cop-out," according to investigators.
After the stabbing, Gotham allegedly tried to contact his mother-in-law to apologize. He also called his own mother and said, "I f—ed up, I probably won't see you again," according to the affidavit.
Police said Gotham's admissions, the physical evidence recovered from the home, the officers' observations and the severity of the victim's injuries established probable cause that he intentionally caused serious physical injury by repeatedly stabbing his wife with a knife.
A judge ordered Gotham held on $500,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on July 21. Records show that he is being held at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Maricopa County.
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