Mexican National Jose Cardenas was sentenced for felony crime of Battery with Intent to Commit Murder.

Judge Southworth sentenced the twenty four year old to 8 years fixed, followed by 12 years indeterminate, for a total unified sentence of 20 years in prison. Judge Southworth also ordered Cardenas to submit a DNA sample to the Idaho database and have no contact with the victim or victim’s family for a period of 20 years. Cardenas was also ordered pay a $5,000 civil penalty as well as $500 in fines and court costs.

Cardenas was arrested in August 2016 following an investigation by the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office revealed he had stabbed his girlfriend multiple times during an argument while they were inside a car. According to detectives, Cardenas lured the victim away from her workplace and once he was inside her car, Cardenas took the victim’s keys and cell phone and stabbed her multiple times in the upper chest and neck area. Cardenas then left the victim bleeding on the side of the road and fled the scene without calling for help. The victim was 14 weeks pregnant at the time of the attack. Cardenas later admitted to detectives that he stabbed her multiple times out of frustration and that he disposed of the knife in a nearby canal. He also admitted to taking the knife earlier in the day from his uncle’s house after an argument between he and the victim.

“Mr. Cardenas showed no regard for the law or human life when he attacked the victim and left her for dead on the side of the road,” said Prosecutor Bryan Taylor. “Thankfully, she was able to call for help or this very well could have been a homicide.”