An Arizona State University student who allegedly stabbed a classmate in a seemingly random attack has had charges of attempted first-degree murder dismissed by prosecutors.
Casey Sloan, 19, was seen charging at Mara Daffron as she entered her classroom in Glendale on Sept. 19, before pulling a knife on her “multiple times.” affidavit Obtained by Fox News.
Matthew McCormick, one of about 13 people who witnessed the incident, said he realized another student was being attacked and took action to save her life.
“At that moment, I wasn't really thinking, I just knew I had to do something,” he says. said FOX10 Phoenix. “When she was about to attack a third time, I was able to grab her wrist and catch her before any further damage could be done.”
Investigators corroborated McCormick's statements, with a police report saying a witness was able to “disarm the defendant by pulling the knife from the defendant's right hand and throwing it away from the defendant.”
Another witness then “kicked a knife into the back of the classroom,” police said.
A third witness said Sloan was “sitting at a desk in the classroom, but when the victim entered the classroom, he suddenly stood up, ran towards the victim, and stabbed the victim multiple times.” The book says:
Police added that the stabbing took place “without provocation or words.”
Daffron was rushed to the hospital, where the report said he was making “significant progress and is on the mend.” gofundme A page has been created on her behalf.
Detectives found a handwritten note in Sloan's bag describing an unspecified act he was “about to commit,” adding that Sloan “came to class to hurt someone and planned the attack the night before. “I was doing it,” he reportedly said.
Police said the defendant also admitted that he targeted Daffron because he was an “easier target” than another potential victim, whom Sloan referred to as a “veteran.”
Although he was originally charged with four felonies, prosecutors dropped two of them, including attempted first-degree murder.
Sloan later pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct. Judge Ashley Rahman set the stabbing suspect's cash bail at $250,000, but as of Thursday, bail had not been posted.
In a statement obtained by FOX News, ASU officials said they were “deeply saddened by what happened.”
“ASU West Valley is a close-knit campus of students, faculty, and staff. Counseling support is available to everyone,” the school said.
