TACOMA, Wash. — A woman who survived a vicious stabbing attack at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma last year delivered powerful testimony as a trial got underway Tuesday.
Victoria Nizzoli described what happened to her in February of 2024, when she went to the park for a walk in the middle of the day.
Testifying in front of Nicholas Mathew – the man accused of trying to kill her – she said she was alone on a trail, until she heard footsteps behind her.
She said she turned around and saw Mathew in front of her and tried to move away.
“He followed me instantly, and that was when I felt the first hit,” said Nizzoli.
Nizzoli told the courtroom she was pinned on the ground, as she was stabbed multiple times in the head, face, neck, and back.
“I started screaming, ‘he’s going to kill me, he’s killing me.’”
People ran over, and that’s when she says her attacker stopped and ran off.
Mathew was arrested several weeks later at the San Francisco airport. Authorities say he was trying to leave the country.
Mathew is representing himself during the trial and did not make a statement in court Tuesday.
After testifying, Nizzoli talked with KIRO 7 about facing her accused attacker.
“A couple of times, I caught him smiling, just sitting there smirking, and that makes me want to punch him. I want payback, but I also just realized the justice system is gonna do that for me,” said Nizzoli.
Nizzoli told KIRO 7 her recovery is ongoing, and for the first time since the attack, she returned to the park last month, on her birthday.
“That was nerve-wracking. It’s not a bad, evil place – I just ran into an evil person, and it felt like a good healing process to go back and walk that trail again,” said Nizzoli.
The trial will continue Wednesday morning.
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