MILLCREEK, Utah, Oct. 14, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A 26-year-old man was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Monday, after he called 911 and told the dispatcher that he had “stabbed his grandma to death.”
Zachary L. Raynor has been identified as the man who called 911 and told the dispatcher his grandmother was a demon, that he still had the knife, and that he wanted to go to jail, according to a probable cause statement filed in Salt Lake County’s 3rd District Court.
The grandmother actually survived the 6:15 a.m. attack that left her bleeding from multiple stab wounds, including a “severed, nearly detached left ear, a detached left wrist, and multiple slash marks and puncture wounds across her face and the front side of her body,” the statement says.
The woman was rushed to the local hospital emergency room by her husband before Unified Police officers arrived at their home in the area of 3500 E. Loren Von Circle, where Raynor also lives. Early reports indicated that she was in critical, but stable, condition.
When officers arrived at the home, Raynor came outside, naked, and was holding a large butcher knife. He was ordered to “drop the knife,” which he did, and was safely taken into custody.
Officers found a large amount of blood inside the residence, the charging document says. They then performed a safety sweep of the home in an effort to find Raynor’s grandmother, but couldn’t locate either grandparent.
At that point, dispatch received a call from a detective who was working at the hospital. He reported that he had an elderly female stabbing patient in the ER. The detective spoke briefly with Raynor’s grandfather, who said that Raynor came into the kitchen that morning, grabbed a butcher knife and, while repeatedly yelling “She’s gotta die,” walked back toward the bedroom his grandmother was in.
The officer who wrote the probable cause statement said Raynor was transported to the hospital and appeared to be in a state of psychosis. The female officer said Raynor made numerous general comments about having assaulted people, “kept speaking to people that were not in the room, kept making sexual advances toward myself and other female staff” who were assisting.
Raynor was booked into jail on suspicion of attempted murder and mayhem. A mental health evaluation was requested.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information is made available.
