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MIDVALE — A man accused of stabbing a woman with a box cutter, then telling police the woman caused the injuries herself, was arrested early Tuesday.
Elidelfo Castro-Nava, 30, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, aggravated kidnapping and assault.
Unified police were initially called to an apartment near 200 West and 7000 South on a report of a domestic dispute. Emergency dispatchers could hear a woman crying in the background and a man telling her in Spanish to "calm herself."
The first arriving officers found a "blood trail" leading through the apartment complex parking lot, according to a police booking affidavit. When they got to the apartment where the attack occurred, they found multiple areas of blood inside as well as chunks of hair and skin.
Castro-Nava told officers that the woman "had gotten upset with him for having a child with another woman and she grabbed a knife he had in his back pocket and began swinging it at him" and ended up cutting herself, the affidavit states.
But when interviewed at the hospital, the woman told police that she had gotten in an argument with Castro-Nava and was trying to leave his apartment when he pulled her by her hair to the ground, punched and choked her while on top of her, and then "pulled out a retractable box cutter and tried to stab her in the left side of her neck. The victim stated she defended herself by blocking the blade with her right hand, thus causing the severe laceration," the affidavit states.
Castro-Nava again refused to let the woman leave, but called 911, police say.
"In addition to the laceration to her right hand, the victim had severe bruising to her right eyebrow consistent with being punched. Based off the victim's injuries and her statement, it is reasonable to believe the accused party was the aggressor in this incident," police concluded in the arrest report.
"The accused party in this case attempted to stab the victim in the neck with a dangerous weapon and prevented her from leaving the apartment. If the victim were unable to escape the apartment like she did, it is reasonable to believe the accused party would fatally injure the victim," the affidavit states.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
