Erin Hume does not remember much from the day she was stabbed.
She had been dating Tyler Riddle for about nine months, and looking back, she now can see red flags that he could become violent.
“He came to my house, and I don’t remember much about what happened, but we had been arguing all day,” she said.
Hume’s son, then 12 years old, was the one to call 911 in August 2025 after Riddle attacked her, leaving her with multiple stab wounds and a laceration across her throat. Riddle also punched both of her children during the attack, she said. The boys told Mesa police they were woken up by screaming and saw Riddle attacking their mother.
Riddle, 34, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the attack at a hearing on Oct. 13 after he pleaded guilty
to aggravated assault and two counts of child abuse.
Hume remembers waking up in the hospital but didn’t realize the extent of her injuries until days later. Her sons were the people who were able to tell her the most about what had happened.
Now, Hume can recognize patterns of yelling, spitting and disrespect that could have indicated Riddle was violent. She was scared in the relationship, but she felt too afraid to call the police or get out of the toxic relationship.
Since the stabbing, Hume has been able to heal physically and repair her family life with her sons. She attended all of the court hearings in the case over the past year and feels relieved that Riddle is now in prison.
Even though she does not feel like the sentence was long enough to pay for what Riddle did, she said she felt “empowered” at his sentencing, and is not scared anymore.
“It could have ended in death,” she said of the relationship.
She now is attending Arizona State University, studying to become a teacher. As a recovering addict, she thought that kind of job was out of reach for her, but now she has goals and a positive outlook on life.
It has been a challenge to talk about what happened with her sons, who feel very protective of her, Hume said. Now, they are trying to put the attack behind them and move forward.
“I feel more physically myself than I have in a long time, even before the stabbing,” she said. “Before this happened, I was stuck in a toxic cycle with this guy. I have goals now; I didn’t have goals before. My outlook was very negative, but now my outlook is positive.”
Hume hopes her story can help someone else recognize a violent relationship and get out before it is too late.
“There are resources and support available to you,” she said.
October is designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, call or text the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit TheHotline.org.
For local resources, visit MaricopaCountyAttorney.org/DV.
Corina Vanek covers development for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X @CorinaVanek.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona domestic violence survivor shares story after abuser sentenced
