Arizona husband accused of stabbing wife dozens of times in the BACK told cops he wanted her to 'stop talking'

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 05:35, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 05:56, 14 July 2026 An Arizona man accused of stabbing his wife repeatedly in the back told cops that he 'snapped' and wanted her to stop talking.  Nathaniel Gotham, 32, called the police on himself after stabbing his wife 16 times in the back after a horrific fight on Saturday.  'When asked why he stabbed the victim, the suspect stated he wanted to hurt her and wanted her to stop talking,' an officer wrote in an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.  'According to the suspect, the victim pleaded with him to stop during the assault.' Mesa police officers responded to the couple's apartment at around 4.30pm and found Gotham, covered in blood, and his wife bleeding facedown on the floor.  In addition to the 16 stab wounds to her back, Gotham's wife suffered lacerations to her head, neck and face as well as defensive wounds on her hands, the affidavit stated.  Gotham allegedly admitted to the horrific attack and said he stabbed his wife 'more than a dozen times' after he told her she 'wasted the best years of my life' and he 'ended up with the wrong woman,' the outlet reported.  He told the detectives that he had 'snapped' and grabbed what he described to be a steak knife from the kitchen before attacking his wife.  Nathaniel Gotham, 32, called the police on himself after stabbing his wife 16 times in the back after a horrific fight on Saturday Gotham allegedly said he stabbed his wife 'more than a dozen times' after he told her she 'wasted the best years of my life' and he wanted her to 'stop talking' Gotham's wife suffered lacerations to her head, neck and face as well as defensive wounds on her hands and is said to be in stable condition at a local hospital His wife was rushed to hospital and is said to be in stable condition, police said in a statement on Sunday.   Police said that Gotham also admitted to choking his wife years before the attack on Saturday.  He told investigators that their relationship of more than a decade was 'not good' and they were in a 'loveless marriage,' according to the outlet.  Gotham further claimed that he had reached a breaking point and 'the monster came out,' before saying the explanation was a 'cop-out,' according to investigators.  Following the attack, he then called his mother-in-law and tried to apologize before calling his own mother to tell her she would be unlikely to see him again, AZFamily reported.  Gotham appeared in court on Sunday on charges of attempted murder. He is being held on a $500,000 bond and is set to return to court on Friday.  The Daily Mail reached out to the Mesa Police Department for comment.