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SOUTH SALT LAKE — A man who police say held a butcher knife to his grandmother's throat and injured her before stabbing himself has been moved from a hospital to the Salt Lake County Jail.
Taylor Nathan Merrell, 30, was arrested Thursday for investigation of intentional aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, aggravated assault and unlawful detention.
On Sunday, South Salt Lake police were called to a residence where a 70-year-old woman claimed her grandson had stabbed her in the neck, according to a police booking affidavit.
"When officers arrived, they found (the woman) had an injury to her neck which appeared to be a puncture wound. Taylor was in the apartment on the floor with a butcher knife next to him. There was a large amount of what appeared to be blood on the living room floor next to him," the affidavit states.
The woman told police that Merrell, who lives with her, opened her bedroom door "and just stared at her" before she closed the door, according to the affidavit. Police say Merrell returned a short time later with a butcher knife and called his grandmother a "demon" before pushing her onto the bed and tightly wrapping his arm around her neck.
"Taylor placed the butcher knife to her throat and was yelling that he was going to do it. Taylor then stabbed (her) in the neck. (The grandmother) said that Taylor eventually got up and went to the front room where he stabbed himself several times," the affidavit states.
The woman's injuries were not considered to be life-threatening. But police believe Merrell poses a "substantial" risk to the community.
"He has made previous threats to the victim. He is likely to show up at their residence and assault the victim again," police said while requesting that Merrell be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the option of posting bail pending the filing of criminal charges.
