SALT LAKE CITY — Almost three years after a Salt Lake woman concluded a date with her husband by blindfolding him and beating him with a hammer, he said Monday he wouldn't mind if his estranged wife was given probation.
"Of course I love Amy," Joel Ricks told 3rd District Judge William Barrett. "One of my reasons for this is not for her but for our daughters who she cares for pretty well. I think it'd be fine for her to go to prison … but I'm not opposed to probation."
Barrett sentenced Amy Teresa Ricks, 37, to one to 15 years in prison but suspended the prison term and ordered her to serve 30 days in jail, three years of probation, a $250 fine and 200 hours of community service. She pleaded guilty in February to aggravated assault, a second-degree felony.
Ricks was initially charged with attempted murder, a first-degree felony, for the May 4, 2007, attack that took place in her parents' Holladay condominium. The couple had gone out for dinner and returned to the condo where they started kissing.
Joel Ricks told police his wife then told him, "I've got a surprise for you." Amy Ricks blindfolded her husband, led him downstairs, spun him around in circles and told him to count to 100.
After Joel Ricks was hit with the hammer, prosecutors said, he pulled off the blindfold, spotted sleeping bags, a knife and plastic bags nearby, and ran off to get help.
Amy Ricks' attorney Susanne Gustin told the victim his estranged wife has "been remorseful since day one" — the woman is prevented from speaking to her husband by way of a no-contact order — before telling the judge how "incredible" Amy Ricks is and that she is an "appropriate candidate for probation."
"She's a kind person, a smart person, a wonderful mother," Gustin said. "She's working full time and is the sole support of this family. She's not a danger to the community or anybody else. This happened because of mental pressure. She was a battered spouse."
But prosecutor Tupakk Renteria said the attack was a "premeditated act" and said the court never found that Amy Ricks was battered. He said Joel Ricks is also incredible, choosing forgiveness over hate, and while "we all have pressures in our life," that's no reason to plan such an attack.
Amy Ricks said the past few years have been a "nightmare."
"I don't want to be separated from my children for any time, I am with them all the time," she said. "The last two years have been a nightmare for everyone. I'm sorry for it and I just want it to be over."
Barrett said he felt the punishment needed to be serious enough to fit the crime but didn't want to burden the family too heavily.
"Sometimes I hate this job," Barrett said before issuing the sentence. "This was a tragic case and is a tragic case."
The couple is still legally married but living apart. Amy Ricks is to report for jail April 27.
e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com