A Tennessee mother is fighting for her life after she was rescued by bystanders when her husband allegedly stabbed her and set her on fire.
Tessa Mowel was saved by two good Samaritans on Monday when she was found burning and suffering from multiple stab wounds inside her Dickson home.
Her husband, Zachary Mowel, 28, is accused of attacking Tessa, dousing her with gasoline and then setting fire to their home in the 1200 block of North Charlotte Street, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Tessa told her family the painful details of the attack from her hospital bed and said her two sons witnessed the attack.
“This all happened with her 5- and 8-year-old children watching and begging their father not to kill their mother,” Tessa’s twin sister, Tori Ila Elizabeth Trotter, said in a statement. GoFundMe for its recovery.
Tessa Mowel was saved by two passers-by when they found her on fire and suffering from multiple stab wounds inside her home.
Tessa has nine stab wounds, all of her ribs are broken, one lung is collapsed, her entire right leg has severe third-degree burns, and she is paralyzed from the waist down.
The family claimed Zachary stabbed Tessa in the back with a kitchen knife, then slashed her eight times in the neck, chest and back while brutally punching her in the face more than 30 times.
Tessa has nine stab wounds, all of her ribs are broken, one lung is collapsed, her entire right leg has severe third-degree burns, and she is paralyzed from the waist down.
“The kids were sitting there, my grandkids, and he grabbed her arm and stabbed her,” said her mother, Tina Trotter. WSMV.
“She told Jackson, her oldest son, to go call 911, and he wouldn’t let her do it.”
Two strangers from Alabama were driving by to look at a Facebook Marketplace item in the area when they saw smoke coming from the house.
Her husband, Zachary Mowel, 28 (pictured), has been charged with attempted murder, domestic battery and attempted arson over the attack.
Court documents state Zachary returned to the scene in the 1200 block of North Charlotte Street (pictured) and approached one of the officers on the scene and said, “I did it. It was me.”
“God bless you and I will get back to you when my family knows who you are. Our family is so grateful to all of you because I wouldn’t have her today,” Tina said.
Zachary allegedly returned to the house while firefighters were putting out the fire and confessed to the crime.
According to court documents seen by WKRNThe 28-year-old man approached one of the officers at the scene and said: “I did it. It was me.”
He was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated arson, aggravated assault (domestic related) and domestic assault and is being held in the Dickson County Jail on $765,000 bail.
The attack shocked the family and her twin sister claimed Tessa was seeking a divorce from her husband.
Tessa told her family the painful details of the attack from her hospital bed and said her two children witnessed the attack.
In the most recent health update provided by her twin sister Tori, Tessa is waiting to be moved to a trauma intensive care unit so she can see her children.
“He’s never had any physical contact with her. He’s been emotionally abusive to her,” Tori said.
“She filed for divorce in May. She called a lawyer that morning and made an appointment. None of us expected this, not this.”
In the most recent health update provided by Tori, Tessa is expecting to be moved to a trauma intensive care unit and out of the ICU so she can see her children.
“He can move his left leg a little bit, but he has no feeling. His right leg is completely paralyzed, as is his waist,” Tori explained.
“She’s having more skin grafts on her leg next week. She’s doing quite well. She misses her kids a lot and hates being up there alone most of the time.”