Arizona couple 'intentionally' plowed down by truck driver who said 'devil told me to kill 3 people'
GLENDALE, ARIZONA: Lisa Lenahan, a former caretaker mother, remains in a medically induced coma having a brain bleed after being intentionally plowed by a truck in Glendale, Arizona, along with her partner Kirt Heaward while on a morning stroll. Krit, a retired Army veteran, who suffered broken ribs, was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, February 8.
Following the event that took place on Monday, February 6, Refugio Barraza Torres is accused of two charges of aggravated assault. He allegedly informed police that he did so because "the devil told me to kill three people."
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Torres was 'having trouble with his brain'
Torres tried to flee the scene, but his right front wheel flew off and left a trail of skid marks on the pavement that Phoenix Police were able to follow and find him. They discovered Torres at a nearby house standing next to the truck with the missing tire, Daily Mail reported. Torres allegedly informed police that "the devil" had instructed him to kill three people, according to court documents. He said, "I think so," when officers questioned him about whether he had done it on purpose.
Torres' wife, as per reports, stated that he had been acting strange during the week leading up to the attack. He has told the police that he was "having trouble with his brain." Moreso, the police have been told that he had been taking random medication.
'It's a really horrible tragedy'
Attorney Chris Goodnow, for the couple, said to be in their 60's, says, "It's a really horrible tragedy". He continued, "When you look at the footage it's basically a small miracle they are alive right now. They've been separated. Kirt is dealing with his own injuries but thinking heavily of Lisa."
Linda Gourley, the couple's neighbor, who has lived in her Glendale home near 51st Avenue and Bell Road for 50 years, described to ABC15 what happened on Monday morning. "To know that somebody was on the street, and I felt like he was almost stalking,” Gourley recalled. “He was so slow. It wasn't normal." Her Ring doorbell video captured a dark grey GMC truck following the couple just after 7.30 am.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Torres, in the video, was seen speeding up to the couple. After her desperate husband threw himself out of the path, the truck struck Lisa. Torres then returned to the scene hitting Howard. "It was bad enough to see him hit the first go-round but to know that he turned around and came back,” Gourley said. “It was like, ‘What in the world is going on?’" she mentioned to the outlet.
'This devastating incident will never be undone'
"This devastating incident will never be undone and will keep them from doing everything they love during retirement for the foreseeable future," a GoFundMe fundraiser described the couple. "They will forever live with the consequences of their attacker's actions."
"They love to go boating on the lake, garden, take care of their quail, and spend their time together. They spend their summer months in Maine doing what they love, getting out of the summer heat in Arizona, and spending time in nature, and with their families," GoFundMe has since raised $7,236.