Authorities in Tennessee report that a husband stabbed his wife and set her on fire, but her life was saved by Good Samaritans, according to her family.
A press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation alleges that Zachary Mowel, 28, attacked his wife on the evening of July 1.
Authorities responding to the scene found a woman with multiple stab wounds and transported her to the hospital. TBI agents subsequently arrested Mowel on charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated arson, aggravated assault (domestic-related), and domestic assault, the People reported.
It is not immediately clear if Mowel has entered pleas to the charges or retained an attorney.
The victim has been identified by her family as Tess Trotter. Her sister, Tori Trotter, wrote on a GoFundMe page launched to offset medical bills that the attack occurred in front of the couple's young children, who were "watching and pleading" for the assailant to stop.
The victim's mother, Tina Trotter, told WSMV that two people happened upon the house fire while in the area looking into an item they had seen on Facebook Marketplace. According to the mother, the pair put out the fire that had engulfed Tess, saving her life.
"God bless you, and I will reach out to you once my family finds out who you are," Tina told the outlet. "Our family is so grateful for y'all because I wouldn't have her today."
As per police documents, Mowel approached an officer who had responded to the scene and said, "I did it. It was me."
According to the GoFundMe page, Tess is paralyzed from the waist down and sustained third-degree burns as a result of the attack. All of her ribs were broken, and she had nine stab wounds.
"Tessa is the strongest person I know," her sister wrote on the page, "and [she] and her boys did not deserve this torture!"
