Thanksgiving chaos erupted in Mesa, Arizona, after Tamala Rudeseal, 52, allegedly launched a bloody attack on her sleeping boyfriend—and then made a chilling call to 911 declaring the holiday her ‘Independence Day.’
The late-night horror unfolded on November 27, when Rudeseal, who now faces attempted murder and aggravated assault charges, reportedly sliced her boyfriend’s throat at their South Country Club Drive apartment. According to police and media sources, around 8 p.m. Rudeseal phoned emergency services herself, stunning dispatchers with the confession, “I did just try to murder you” and the declaration, “Today is my Independence Day.”
Law enforcement dashed to the scene to find the victim alive but with a gruesome wound stretching from his left ear to the middle of his neck, sources told 12 News. The suspect, Rudeseal, was detained onsite as paramedics hurried her battered boyfriend to urgent care. Investigators say they recovered a formidable folding hunting knife at the apartment—a possible weapon in the alleged attack.
Officers grilled Rudeseal, who reportedly admitted to threatening her partner with, “I’m going to slice your [expletive] throat.” When pressed about her intentions, AZFamily reported that she coldly replied, “Yes. God, I hope he is dead; it’d be a favor to me, his wife, and his children.”
Court documents reportedly reveal Rudeseal’s frustration with her boyfriend’s household habits as a possible motive, citing complaints that “he didn’t do anything around the house.” Meanwhile, the male victim told police the couple’s relationship naturally grows tense near the holidays, and a heated argument had erupted earlier that day.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office confirms the case remains under active review.
