Christmas Day Stabbing Suspect Appears In Court

The legal aftermath of a Christmas Day stabbing is beginning to unfold.

The pre-trial hearing for Joseph “Joey” Chavez, the man accused of stabbing 20-year-old Buck Garner to death on Christmas Day, was held today in the Bonneville County Courthouse.

Detective Thomas Hillier, of the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, testified that Chavez confessed to stabbing Garner during an interview.

“Mr. Chavez told me that he had a kitchen knife in his hand,” Hillier said. “And with his right hand, he stabbed Mr. Garner.”

The judge turned Chavez’s case over to the district court and kept his bond set at $750,000.

Chavez sat with his head hung low the entire time, as his defense decided not to make any arguments.

Perhaps one of the most compelling moments of the hearing was when Chavez’s ex-girlfriend testified. She was there when Buck Garner was stabbed and described his final moments.

“[Buck] told me not to let him die,” recalled Taylor Scharer, who dated Chavez for two years, from the witness stand. “And then the paramedics told me that I need to go inside. And I stopped and I looked over and they were pumping his chest. And then they forced me to go inside.”

Several other suspects involved in the initial brawl which led to the stabbing waived their rights to appear today.

A date for Chavez’s next court appearance has not been set yet.