Prosecutor: Stabbing victim ‘fortunate’ to be alive. Meridian woman sentenced
A Meridian woman will spend multiple years in prison after repeatedly stabbing another woman last year.
Fourth District Judge Peter Barton sentenced Tera Suarez to at least seven years behind bars, with another 13 she could spend in prison, on parole or both, according to a news release from the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office. Under state law, she could have faced up to 30 years in prison.
The 45-year-old was found guilty of felony aggravated battery by a 12-person jury in November, court records showed. Suarez was also convicted of an enhancement for use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, which can add another 15 years to someone’s sentence.
Given the severity of the victim’s injuries, Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts said in Monday’s release that it’s “extremely fortunate” that she’s alive.
In April 2025, the Meridian Police Department responded to St. Luke’s emergency room after a woman arrived with stab wounds to her neck, back and upper torso, the release said. Police determined that she was assaulted at the James Court Apartments in Meridian, and obtained surveillance footage that showed Suarez stabbing the victim five times, according to the release.
Suarez arrived at the apartment complex in a vehicle with another person, who was driving, when they began speaking with the victim, and as the conversation “appeared to get heated,” Suarez got out of the vehicle and “without provocation” stabbed the other woman, the release said.
The driver intervened and restrained Suarez before they both left the complex without helping the victim, according to the release.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and holds the defendant accountable for her actions,” Bennetts said.
Suarez will receive credit for 276 days she’s already spent in the Ada County Jail.
