Man charged with attempted murder after stabbing Wasatch County patient

WASATCH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — A 20-year-old man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed a patient at an addiction recovery center in Wasatch County, according to court documents.

Hunter Ryan Kluser, 20, was charged Friday, May 2, with first-degree attempted murder for allegedly stabbing another patient at the facility. Police say the stabbing appeared to be “unprovoked” with Kluser approaching the patient from behind.

Kluser — an Eagle Mountain man who voluntarily admitted himself as a patient — allegedly came up behind a patient sitting on a couch on Wednesday and started swinging a knife at his neck.

“The video depicts Hunter aggressively swinging the knife repeatedly at the victim’s neck even after the victim slumps over to protect himself. Hunter appears to make contact with this victim’s neck at least six times,” police wrote in the report.

Medical responders treated the victim for a puncture wound to the neck and transported him to the University of Utah Medical Center in a helicopter. The victim is stable and expected to survive.

Kluser was originally facing a second-degree felony for attempted murder but was ultimately charged with a first-degree felony. He is booked in the Wasatch County Jail.