A man from Arizona is facing a first-degree murder charge after a brutal daylight assault with a hatchet axe left another man fatally wounded at a bus stop near downtown Tucson.
Father succumbs to injuries from hatchet axe attack
Authorities say the suspect nearly decapitated the victim as he sat alongside his wife while waiting to go home after suffering a horrific loss.
The victim, 32-year-old Jacob Couch, succumbed to his injuries on Friday, prompting authorities to elevate the charges against 25-year-old Daniel Michael.
Couch had initially survived the April 5 attack but passed away days later.
His sister-in-law, Erica Sims, confirmed his death, telling KGUN 9 that he died at 8:58 p.m. due to heart failure and complications including pneumonia.
The incident occurred just after 10 a.m. on the corner of East Broadway Boulevard and South 6th Avenue in Tuscon, Arizona.
Police were dispatched to the scene where bystanders were already attempting to administer aid to Couch.
Responding officers took over life-saving efforts until paramedics from the Tucson Fire Department arrived and transported him to a nearby hospital.
Investigators later learned from witnesses that the attacker, identified as Michael, allegedly initiated the confrontation and then retrieved a weapon described as having a sharp edge.
He reportedly struck Couch in the neck with the hatchet axe and nearly decapitated him.
Kristen, Jacob’s wife, recounted the horrifying ordeal to KGUN 9. “I told the man we were leaving, and I guess my husband bent down to get our stuff and he just came up behind him and just walked away… It was very traumatic, and there was a lot of blood.”
Cops find suspect in hatchet axe attack
Police say Michael fled the area by boarding public transportation. It took authorities three days to identify him as the suspect using surveillance footage and supporting evidence.
Officers later apprehended him at his residence on Tucson’s east side.
During a search of his home, investigators say they found key items linking him to the crime, including a hatchet axe and clothing resembling what the attacker wore during the assault.
Michael initially denied his involvement, but according to police documents, he changed his story after being shown video evidence.
He allegedly told detectives that he had consumed a large amount of alcohol that day and had difficulty remembering the events.
Later, he claimed to recall confronting Couch because he believed the man was taking drugs.
Michael said he acted after seeing Couch reach into his back pocket, which he took as a threat, then walked away.
Before Jacob’s death, Michael was facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and causing serious physical injury.
Following the victim’s passing, prosecutors updated the charge to first-degree murder. Michael is expected to appear in court later this month.
Doctors reportedly spent several hours attempting to save Couch through surgical intervention, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
Father killed after loss of baby
At the time of the incident, Couch and his wife had been in the midst of a difficult journey.
The couple had been in California grieving the recent loss of their stillborn child and were on a bus trip to return home to Alabama when they made a stop in Tucson.
“He was stillborn,” Kristen said. “You know, we felt like maybe, like moving, like, going somewhere different like would help us like grieve, but it didn’t. And that’s why we were coming home.”
Luke Couch, Jacob’s brother, said the assault was completely unprovoked.
According to him, Michael approached the couple and ordered them to leave.
Sensing trouble, Jacob and his wife began gathering their things when the attacker suddenly swung the hatchet axe.
“And witnesses said that he lifted the ax up over his head and swung it,” Luke told Fox News.
The family is now calling for decisive legal action.
“I want to make sure this man never does this again and no other family has to go through what my family has gone through,” Luke said.
He also described the emotional toll of seeing his brother incapacitated while clinging to life in the hospital.
“To see my brother lying in a hospital bed and unable to move, unable to do anything, it hurts so bad to know that I wasn’t able to be there to protect him because he would have done it for me in a heartbeat.”
In the aftermath of the attack, Sims created a GoFundMe campaign to assist with medical and funeral expenses. The page has raised over $75,000.
Luke spoke about the overwhelming support they’ve received since the violent attack on his brother.
“Just for a minute, I looked around and just to see all these people who have different lives, different jobs and they took the time out of their day to come out here and there,” he said. “It’s just amazing. Just, I’m at a loss for words.”
