A judge sentenced Andreys Luis Arias to 12 years in prison followed by seven years of probation for a stabbing at the University of Arizona's Main Library, telling the courtroom she had never seen a more premeditated violent case and worried he might commit similar crimes again. Arias was 17 when he was arrested in connection with the August 19, 2025 attack, which left his girlfriend seriously injured on the Tucson campus.
Arias, now 18, reached a plea deal and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence kidnapping, according to KOLD. The station reported that he apologized in court, saying he wished he could take back his actions. Arias will receive credit for 63 days already served toward his sentence, per KVOA.
A Relationship Turns Violent at the Library
Arias and the victim, Aaniya Coley, knew each other and were in a relationship, the station's report noted. Witnesses said he stabbed her several times with a kitchen knife during the attack at the Main Library on the UA campus. Afterward, Arias left the knife at the scene and later called 911 to turn himself in, and Coley identified him as her attacker once investigators arrived.
Accounts of the full extent of Coley's injuries have varied across coverage. In its sentencing report, the outlet wrote that Coley suffered nine stab wounds to her back, two to her chest, and multiple cuts to her face. An earlier report from the same outlet described seven stab wounds, including one to her eye, along with a punctured lung. Coley's mother, speaking with KGUN9, offered yet another account, saying her daughter suffered three chest wounds that punctured her lungs, seven wounds to the back, one to the eyelid, two to the palms, and wounds to her neck and head.
Judge Calls the Attack Premeditated
At sentencing, the judge said she had never seen a violent case more premeditated than this one and expressed concern that Arias could commit similar crimes again. The court has also issued a no-contact order covering Coley and her family, KGUN9 reported.
Because Arias was a minor at the time of the stabbing, the case drew attention to how Arizona handles juveniles accused of serious violent crimes. Under state law, aggravated assault covers conduct that causes serious physical injury or involves the use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, according to the Arizona Legislature. Separate statutory text defines a chronic felony offender as a juvenile with two prior, separate adjudications for conduct that would count as a historical prior felony if the juvenile had been tried as an adult, per the Arizona Legislature.
Coley's mother has described her daughter as a fighter who is healing and hopes to return to school, according to the same account given to the Tucson outlet. With the no-contact order now in place and Arias's sentence set, the case closes a chapter that began with a violent attack inside a university library more than a year ago.
