Unhinged man nearly decapitated, ultimately killed a random man sitting on a bench with his wife

TUCSON, AZ- In another story you probably won’t see on national media, a 32-year-old man is dead after a brutal attack in downtown Tucson last weekend. 

Jacob Couch and his wife, Kristen, were sitting on a bus bench at a city corner, minding their own business, when a man, later identified as Daniel Michael, 25, approached them and began yelling at them. After Couch said something back to the man, Michael, who is black, struck Jacob Couch in the neck with what was described as a machete-type knife, WSFA reports.

Couch, who is white, suffered a significant wound to the back of his neck and was bleeding profusely before being rushed to a local hospital.

In describing his brother’s condition, Luke Couch said, “He’s not expected to make it right now. We’ve just been taking it how we can.” 

Days later, he passed away.

“The injury cut the artery in the back of his neck in half; it went so deep that it hit his skull,” Couch’s sister-in-law Erica Sims said. 

The couple was traveling by bus from California to their home in Alabama after a vacation, and decided to stop in Tucson to check out the area. 

According to court documents, video surveillance captured Michael walking away “calmly” from the scene. Police were able to identify him based on the video footage. He was found three days later at his home. 

Court documents showed police found a hatchet when searching his apartment, subject to a search warrant, and also found clothes he was wearing during the attack. 

Michael initially denied that it was he who committed the brutal assault, however, after being confronted with the surveillance video, he admitted being the suspect. He told police he had been drinking heavily and didn’t remember anything about the attack. 

“If you’re going downtown when you’re drunk carrying a large machete like that, you have no other intentions other than to cause harm to somebody,” Luke Couch said. “He went down there looking for trouble, and it just so happened to be my brother, who is not going to make it home from this.” 

Michael was charged with two counts of aggravated assault; however, now that Jacob Couch has died from his wounds, those charges will likely be upgraded. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond. It is unknown if a GiveSendGo will be set up for him like it was for a Texas killer, Karmelo Anthony, who stabbed a white 17-year-old football star to death after a verbal dispute. 

That fundraiser raised enough money to allow Anthony to get out of jail and his family appears to now be living very comfortably. Anthony, who is black, stabbed unarmed Austin Metcalf in the heart at a high school track meet earlier this month. Anthony laugably claimed “self-defense.” 

Luke Couch called the unprovoked attack on his brother senseless. He called his brother his hero, and he wouldn't rest until justice was served. 

“Ever since I was a kid, he was my idol,” Couch said of his brother. “I always wanted to be just like him growing up. My brother was a sweet, sweet person. He’d never hurt a soul. 

The Couch family originally told the outlet they were holding out for a miracle. They have set up a GoFundMe to gather donations for Jacob’s family. He and his wife have two children.