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OGDEN — A day before jury trial was set to begin, Michael Raymond Acevedo pleaded guilty Monday to stabbing a man in his face and neck 17 times, leaving him critically injured.
Acevedo was initially charged with attempted murder, a first-degree felony, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a class A misdemeanor. As part of a plea bargain, the 31-year-old pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and the weapons charge was dismissed.
In October 2023, Ogden police responded to the area of 200 W. 33rd St. on a report of a stabbing after two men were involved in a physical fight. Acevedo met the officers at the scene, and told them he was the one who stabbed the man.
Police then obtained video footage from nearby surveillance cameras showing Acevedo and a man with a bicycle arguing on the sidewalk. Acevedo would later tell police the man had been following him around a homeless shelter and Acevedo felt the need to "end the threat," according to a police booking affidavit.
After some pushing, footage shows the man put down the bike and pick up a pair of vise-grips, while Acevedo pulled out a knife. The man then tried to leave, putting down the vise-grips, but Acevedo grabbed him, holding the knife in the victim's face before stabbing him in the face and neck area. "The stabbing continued even while (the victim) went to one knee," according to court documents.
Acevedo told police "he 'blacked out' after the first time he stabbed the victim and didn't remember how many times he stabbed him in total," the affidavit states.
Acevedo is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6.