Police in eastern Idaho arrested a 32-year-old woman accused of stabbing a 32-year-old victim nearly 20 times inside an apartment bedroom and then slashing the victim’s mother in the face when she tried to intervene, authorities said.
The violence, reported late Feb. 15 on the 700 block of South Arthur Avenue, left the daughter with severe injuries that required an airlift to a hospital in Salt Lake City, while the mother was treated and released, police said. The suspect, Marita Gonzales of Pocatello, faces a charge of attempted murder and a charge of aggravated battery as detectives review surveillance video, cell phone data and physical evidence collected during the investigation.
Investigators said the attack came after the daughter met Gonzales online and later invited her to the apartment where she lived with her 49-year-old mother. Police have not described what the two discussed or did earlier in the day, but they said the mother heard noise from the bedroom late that night and walked in to check on her daughter. What she saw, police said, was a woman attacking her child with a knife. In a statement summarized in court documents, the mother told officers she watched the suspect stab her daughter 18 times. The mother then tried to stop the assault and was cut on the side of her face, police said. The suspect ran from the apartment and fled south on Arthur Avenue, according to the mother’s account to investigators.
Officers reached the apartment shortly after 10 p.m. and began providing emergency aid, police said. Inside, they found the daughter nude, covered in blood, with stab wounds across her face, head, neck and hands, authorities said. The injuries were serious enough that after she was first taken to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, she was transferred by helicopter to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City for specialized treatment. Police said she was listed in stable condition after treatment. The mother was also taken to Portneuf Medical Center, treated for the facial wound and released, police said.
The attack initially sent police searching for a different suspect. The mother’s first description to officers was of a man about 5 feet 10 inches tall with short hair, wearing a hat and a dark jacket, police said. Based on that description, the Pocatello Police Department asked residents and business owners near South Arthur Avenue to review security footage and report anything unusual from the hours surrounding the stabbing. As detectives expanded the timeline, they said they found surveillance video and images showing the daughter with another person at a store about an hour before the attack. Police said that footage helped them identify Gonzales as the suspect. Authorities have not said whether the misidentification stemmed from poor lighting, a brief glimpse, the suspect’s clothing or other factors.
Police said Gonzales was arrested around 9 p.m. Feb. 17 and booked into the Bannock County Jail. A judge ordered her held on a $1 million bond, according to published court coverage. Investigators said they served a search warrant and recovered evidence they believe links Gonzales to the stabbing, though they have not publicly described what was taken or whether the weapon was recovered. Court records referenced by local reports also did not provide a motive, and police have not described any prior relationship between Gonzales and the mother. Authorities have not said whether the suspect and the daughter exchanged messages after arriving at the apartment or whether any argument preceded the attack.
The victims were publicly identified in police updates as Rajah Keller, 32, and Starla Keller, 49, both of Pocatello. In an early account to officers, Starla Keller said she saw the unknown person with her daughter and walked into the area where the two were, police said. Starla Keller told police the person walked past her and stabbed her in the face as she said she was calling police, according to a probable cause statement described in local reporting. Investigators have not said how long the suspect was inside the apartment before the stabbing began, or whether any part of the assault happened in a common area before it moved to the bedroom.
Police have also not released details about what prompted the mother to check the bedroom, beyond describing that she heard a commotion or noise. They have not said whether anyone else was in the apartment at the time. No other injuries were reported, authorities said. The investigation has included interviews, a review of surveillance footage and analysis of digital evidence, police said, as detectives work to confirm the suspect’s movements in the hours before and after the stabbing. Authorities have not said whether Gonzales had any prior contact with law enforcement in the area or whether the case involved a protection order.
The charges filed against Gonzales reflect the differing severity of the injuries described by investigators. Attempted murder generally requires proof that a defendant intended to kill, while aggravated battery covers serious bodily injury, the use of a deadly weapon or attacks that cause lasting harm. Police have not said which charge corresponds to which victim, but authorities have repeatedly described the daughter’s injuries as severe and the mother’s injury as a large facial cut. Prosecutors will likely rely on medical records, photographs, witness statements and any recovered physical evidence as the case moves through court.
The incident has unsettled residents in the area south of downtown Pocatello, a city of about 60,000 people in southeastern Idaho. Neighbors described heavy police presence after the call and a search for a suspect who fled on foot, according to local reporting. The early search for a male suspect also raised concerns that a potentially violent attacker remained at large, prompting police requests for video from homes and businesses. Once Gonzales was identified and arrested, investigators said they were able to narrow their focus to how the attack began and what led to the sudden violence inside the apartment.
In the days after the stabbing, police have released limited information about the suspect’s background or what she told detectives after her arrest. Authorities have not said whether Gonzales has an attorney, whether she made any statements to police, or whether she plans to contest the charges. Police have also not said whether the victim and suspect met in person for the first time on the day of the attack or whether they had met previously. Investigators have not released details about where the suspect was arrested, beyond saying she was taken into custody Tuesday night.
Detectives have emphasized that the case was difficult to sort out in the first hours because of the initial description and the speed with which the suspect fled. As the investigation continued, police said surveillance footage helped clarify who had been with Rajah Keller earlier that night and supported the decision to seek a warrant. Authorities have not said whether any store employees recognized the pair or whether the footage shows them buying anything or interacting with others. Police also have not said whether they believe the attack was planned or impulsive.
The prosecution is expected to move next through early court proceedings, including hearings that address probable cause, bond and future trial dates. Police have said they will continue interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence while the victims recover. Investigators have not offered a timeframe for when Rajah Keller might return to Idaho, and they have not released updates on her condition beyond the initial report that she was stable. Starla Keller’s physical injuries were not described beyond the facial wound, but the attack has raised broader questions about how quickly an online connection can turn into a dangerous in-person encounter, an issue police have noted in past cases without tying it directly to this investigation.
As of Saturday, Gonzales remained in jail in Bannock County while the case proceeds, and police said the investigation remains active as they work to complete reports and submit evidence for review by prosecutors. The next major public update is expected to come through court filings and scheduled hearings as authorities outline what they believe happened inside the apartment and why.
Author note: Last updated February 21, 2026.