Victim has ‘no ill will’ toward assailant in ‘horrific’ Boise stabbing case
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- A woman was having a psychotic break when she repeatedly stabbed a Boise victim in 2024.
- The victim said she doesn’t sleep and has had her life changed, as fear stays with her.
- The prosecution requested 8 years in prison before Farida Joel Mathew can get parole.
A “psychotic break” led to a stabbing last year that nearly left a Boise woman dead, and an Ada County judge took the assailant’s mental health into consideration when handing down a sentence this week.
Farida Joel Mathew, 24, was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison on a felony aggravated battery charge, with two years fixed, meaning parole eligibility after that time. The judge in the case also retained jurisdiction, which means Mathew will be asked to complete a rider program while in Idaho Department of Correction custody, and then could be released. She was given credit for over a year of time served, and the judge also issued a no-contact order.
Mathew pleaded guilty to the battery count in a plea agreement after being charged with four felonies originally, including burglary and an enhancement for use of a deadly weapon in commission of a felony.
A competency evaluation found the woman to have schizophrenic symptoms, court records showed, and she told the court that “she was acting unlike herself” when the crime occurred. Fourth District Judge Richard Greenwood said during sentencing that Mathew’s condition had to be taken into account when it came to sentencing.
No ‘ill will’ toward the defendant from North End victim
On Sept. 18, 2024, Mathew was having a mental breakdown, according to the defense, when she broke into a Boise resident’s home and attacked her.
In the victim impact statement in court, the woman said Mathew had been staying at City Light Home for Women, a center that provides emergency services, including meals and shelter, to those in need.
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release that in the weeks leading up to the attack, Mathew asked the woman for a place to stay, and was intermittently staying in her backyard, which is a block away from the center, after being thrown out of City Light.
On the night of the assault, according to the release, Mathew entered the woman’s residence, made false accusations and stabbed the vcitim repeatedly, leaving her with 20 puncture wounds.
The woman said in court that she was able to escape Mathew and run into the street, where someone in car saw her and stopped to help. Had that not happened, she’d be dead today, the victim said.
“I am grateful to be alive, but my life is forever changed,” the woman said. “I don’t sleep well. I still check the locks multiple times each night. I’m doing my best to heal, but the fear stays with me.”
The woman also told the court, though, that she did not “harbor ill will” toward Mathew, who she hopes will receive mental health treatment. She said she felt certain that Mathew would not have attacked her if she was not having a psychotic break.
“My hope for Farida is that outpatient mental health treatment would be mandated upon her release so that she is no longer a danger to herself or anyone else. I know there are legal consequences ... I hope the mental health aspect can drive the sentencing,” she said.
Mathew says her ‘heart aches’ for Boise woman she attacked
Prosecuting attorney Brett Judd argued for a sentence that he said would protect the victim and community. He requested a maximum of 15 years, with eight years in prison before Mathew would be eligible for parole.
“She’s been hospitalized for mental health several times, she gets stable, gets released, goes off her meds and the cycle repeats,” Judd said. “The state is concerned that there’s nothing here to break the cycle.”
Defense attorney Alexander Grad said Mathew’s schizophrenic symptoms stem from traumatic experiences and asked for the sentence to reflect her mental health needs. Grad said she has made progress through the treatment received waiting for trial.
Grad requested a sentence of up to four years, with one year before parole could be granted. He also proposed Mathew be ordered to serve 120 days in a community transition center after her prison sentence if she demonstrates established mental health care in the community.
“It will continue to haunt her. If she was in the right state of mind, she wouldn’t have done it,” Grad said.
Mathew apologized in court and took responsibility for the attack.
“My actions must have hurt her deeply knowing she’s always been so kind to me,” Mathew said. “My heart aches for her every day, thinking how terrified she must have been. I’d like to take full responsibility and take steps toward forgiving myself.”
Greenwood said he thought that a long prison term was not appropriate and that Mathew needed adequate mental health treatment.
“Frankly, as hard as the prison system tries, they don’t really do a good job at (mental health care). They try, but one thing is we don’t really give them the necessary resources to do an adequate job,” Greenwood said, before handing down the sentence and putting Mathew in the rider program.
