Husband Who Fatally Stabbed Newlywed Wife Following Argument Over Annulment in Phoenix Home Depot Parking Lot, Sentenced

A Valley man who admitted to fatally stabbing his wife outside a north Phoenix Home Depot has been sentenced to two decades in prison, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) announced Monday.

Stephen Dennis, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year in the killing of his wife, 37-year-old Aliccia Grant. He was sentenced to serve 18 years in prison on Friday. According to prosecutors, the couple had recently married and were discussing an annulment at the time of the attack.

The stabbing occurred shortly after midnight on Sept. 9, 2024, in the parking lot near Cactus and Cave Creek roads. Witnesses reported hearing a woman screaming for help from inside a Toyota Prius. Grant was found in the driver’s seat with multiple stab wounds, while Dennis was seen in the passenger seat before fleeing the scene with a bag.

Bystanders rushed to assist Grant until Phoenix police arrived. She was then rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later died. Grant also identified Dennis as her attacker, according to MCAO.
Dennis later called 911, confessed to the crime, and provided his location to police, who took him into custody.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell condemned the killing in a statement, describing it as “an act of betrayal carried out by someone who should have been a source of safety, not fear.”