TACOMA, WA – A Washington man was convicted this week of attempted murder after a brutal, random knife attack that left a woman clinging to life on a popular park trail in Tacoma.

A jury found Nicholas Matthew, 29, guilty on Tuesday in connection with the February 2024 stabbing of Victoria Nizzoli, 34, as she was taking a walk at Point Defiance Park. According to court documents, Matthew ambushed Nizzoli in broad daylight, stabbing her repeatedly with a 5- to 6-inch fixed blade knife, targeting her back, torso, head, face, and neck in a violent and relentless assault.

Prosecutors described how Matthew made chilling remarks during the attack, instructing Nizzoli to tilt her head back and telling her she would soon “meet [her] maker.” Despite severe injuries and heavy bleeding, Nizzoli fought back with everything she had, using her arms, hands, and voice to try to thwart her attacker.

At the trial, prosecutors emphasized the ferocity of the attack and pointed to Nizzoli’s extraordinary will to survive. They credited two factors for saving her life: her own determination to resist and the intervention of bystanders who rushed toward her cries for help.

Witnesses described hearing Nizzoli’s desperate screams and seeing a woman, identified in court as J.V., confronting Matthew at the scene. J.V. yelled at Matthew to stop and then physically intervened, kicking him in the head to force him off the victim. Matthew fled the area after the intervention, while witnesses attended to Nizzoli.

Testifying in court, Nizzoli recounted the trauma of the assault. She recalled the repeated movement of the knife and moments when she used her teeth in an effort to disarm Matthew. “He kept holding the knife at my throat,” she testified, describing how Matthew implored her to let him “end [her] pain.”

Nizzoli also described the aftermath on the witness stand, sharing her feelings of anger and the chilling memory of Matthew appearing to smile as she spoke during the trial. She expressed faith in the criminal justice system to hold him accountable.

Matthew, who represented himself during the proceedings, has a history of mental illness, including diagnoses of schizophrenia and depression, according to court records. Despite these documented issues, jurors found him responsible for the violent assault.

Authorities said Nizzoli’s survival was due to her resilience and the quick actions of those nearby. The incident has drawn renewed attention to community safety and the unpredictable dangers that can arise even in broad daylight.

Matthew is scheduled to be sentenced later this year. He remains in custody pending sentencing.