A man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the stabbing death of his wife after she identified him as her attacker in her final words.

Stephen Dennis, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing, which occurred in the parking lot of a north Phoenix store, according to a press release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Dennis told police the couple had recently married and were discussing an annulment at the time of the killing, according to the release.

Phoenix Police arrested Dennis in the early morning of Sept. 9, 2024, after responding to a call regarding a stabbing. Witnesses said they heard a woman screaming and found the victim in the driver’s seat of a car with multiple stab wounds with Dennis in the front seat, according to the release.

Dennis got out of the car, argued with someone in the parking lot before leaving the scene on foot. Police say the victim identified Dennis as her attacker before she was transported to a hospital where she later died.

After the incident, Dennis called 911 and confessed to stabbing his wife, told police where to find the weapon.