A North Carolina man will spend over a decade in prison for the violent stabbing and kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend at a Weaverville grocery store last year, an incident witnesses and authorities say was brought to a halt by the heroic intervention of a store manager.
Matthew Martin Miner, 63, was sentenced to 144 to 184 months (12 to 15 years) in North Carolina custody after pleading guilty as charged to Attempted First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Kidnapping. Miner was also ordered to pay $1,536 in restitution.
The attack occurred on October 15, 2024, at the Publix market in Weaverville. Weaverville Police Department officers and EMS responded to a reported stabbing and found the female victim inside the store suffering from multiple stab wounds.
According to the victim’s account, Miner, her ex-boyfriend, unexpectedly appeared while she was shopping and followed her to her car. As she prepared to leave, Miner entered her vehicle, retrieved a knife from his own truck, and began stabbing her.
The victim fought back, but Miner allegedly prevented her from escaping until a store manager, having heard her screams, intervened. Miner then fled the scene in his vehicle. He was later apprehended at his home, where investigators recovered a folding-blade knife and the victim’s phone.
When questioned, Miner told investigators that he “wanted to hurt [the victim] as much as she was hurting him.”
The victim, who survived the attack, was present in court and addressed the judge during the sentencing.
District Attorney Todd Williams praised the store manager’s actions, calling them life-saving.
“There is no doubt that a grocery store manager’s selflessness and courage saved a life,” said District Attorney Williams. “His decision to run toward the danger, rather than away from it, was an act of profound heroism.”
The highly public nature of the daytime attack led to immediate discussion on social media, where eyewitness accounts described the traumatic scene in the parking lot and praised the Publix manager’s quick response.
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