Man pleads guilty to stabbing people at random in store parking lot

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SALT LAKE CITY — As his trial was set to begin, a man charged with stabbing two people at random in a grocery store parking lot instead pleaded guilty and mentally ill Tuesday.

Kiet Thanh Ly, 37, entered the pleas to two counts of attempted murder, a first degree felony. As the small Vietnamese man spoke, 3rd District Judge Vernice Trease asked whether Ly fully understood what his plea meant for the case.

"There were periods when I was very concerned about his competency," said Ly's attorney, Raymond Schuey, noting he has recently been more alert during their meetings. "I believe he is fully aware and understands his rights and what's happening here."

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped three additional charges of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. Prosecutors will recommend that two potential prison sentences run concurrently and that, prior to being transferred to prison, will ask that Ly be treated at the Utah State Hospital.

Ly was arrested in April 2012 after police say he went into a downtown Smith's Marketplace, 455 S. 500 East, purchased a knife, then came back outside to use it. Ly stabbed a 30-year-old man several times in the abdomen, according to a police report, and attempted to stab several other people who were able to get away.

A second victim, a 45-year-old man, was cut several times on his arm and received a stab wound to his head.

A bystander who had a permit to carry a concealed weapon saw what was happening and drew his gun, charging Ly and managing to detain him until police arrived.

Ly is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 16.

Utah court records show Ly has had many run-ins with police dating back to 1997, and his behavior seemed to be more erratic and violent in recent years.

Just days before the stabbing, Ly was convicted of joyriding and possessing another person's identification, and the month before he was charged in March in a separate case with sexual battery and two counts of lewdness stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred while he was a patient at St. Mark's Hospital, according to court records.

In 2011, Ly was convicted on an amended charge of attempted assault on a police officer. In that incident, Ly refused to leave an acquaintance's house, claiming he was homeless, according to court records. When police arrived, Ly took a stance as if he was going to throw punches. He then damaged a police car while being transported to jail.

Also in 2011, Ly was convicted on an amended charge of attempted aggravated assault for threatening a Department of Workforce Services employee with a knife, according to court records.