Prison sentence given to man for stalking, kidnapping, attacking pregnant ex-wife in West Valley

SURPRISE, Ariz. — A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to prison after he traveled from California to Arizona last October to kidnap and attack his pregnant ex-wife.

Garrett Headrick was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court to 21 years in prison after the defendant pleaded guilty to attempt to commit second-degree murder, kidnapping and stalking.

Headrick was taken into custody last year after Surprise police officers responded to a neighborhood where a resident witnessed a man dragging a woman by her hair into a home.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said the woman and her three children were leaving for a soccer game when Headrick approached them with a metal bar and forced them inside the residence. 

Prosecutors said Headrick then assaulted, restrained and threatened to kill the woman before police forced their way inside the residence and detained the defendant. The victim was taken to the hospital for significant lacerations and a brain bleed, MCAO said.

“Domestic violence is about power and control, and it leaves lasting scars on victims and families. This case is a reminder that abusers will go to extreme lengths to intimidate and harm,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement.