How a woman survived a multiple stabbing attack by a violent former date
When Anthony Monteleone and Maria, a single mum of three, first met he fooled her into believing he was a good man.
Maria’s love of helping people stay fit and healthy, was also how Anthony Monteleone first found her.
When the two first met, he fooled her into believing he was a good man. Nine
He messaged her on her Instagram.
But weeks into their relationship, Maria realised the truth when Monteleone tried to stab her to death.
Thankfully he failed, but what this incredibly brave woman subsequently discovered was that the man who attacked her had a violent past.
Of course if she’d known about it, she never would have gone anywhere near him.
Now though, because of her near-death experience, Maria is trying to protect other women by campaigning to have the abusive histories of domestic violence perpetrators made public.
When Maria agreed to go on a date with Monteleone, she had no idea of the danger she was in.
In reality, he’s a predatory stalker who revealed his true sinister self when he didn’t get what he desired.
Maria quickly realised she didn’t want any of it either, but by now, it was too late when he stabbed her in a Sydney car park.
“All I could feel was bang, bang, bang, he was just stabbing me,” she said.
“I just kept repeating in my head, ‘I’m not going to die. I’m not going to die. I’m not going to die’.”
South Australia’s Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme has paved the way in helping women make informed decisions about their safety. Nine
Remarkably, Maria endured such a vicious attack.
Now she’s determined justice will prevail.
The brave mum also wants the world to know something she didn’t when she met Monteleone.
She wasn’t his first victim. This man had a DV history and a criminal record.
Statistics reveal a staggering number of domestic violence perpetrators are repeat offenders.
And after everything she’s been through, Maria believes it should be everyone’s right to know if a potential partner has a violent past.
Maria’s case exposed glaring failures and sparked promises of immediate action by the NSW government.
In late 2024 a suite of tough new laws were introduced.
The punishment for successive breaches of apprehended violence orders was increased from two to five years in jail.
Former magistrate David Heilpern has reviewed the numbers and says 18 months on women aren’t any safer.
But for Maria, the greatest insult is that she wasn’t Monteleone’s first victim.
When Maria first agreed to go on a date with Anthony Monteleone, she had no idea the man had a violent past. Nine
In a strikingly similar case, seven years before he tried to kill Maria, Monteleone had another AVO taken out against him and was convicted of stalking another woman.
It’s critical information Maria says she should have known.
“To me, that’s danger. And I wouldn’t put myself or my children in danger,” she said.
There’s one state already leading the way in this area.
South Australia has a domestic violence disclosure scheme running since 2018.
It’s helped more than a thousand women make informed decisions about their safety.
Run by the South Australian Police, in partnership with the Women’s Safety Service, Assistant Commissioner, Stuart Mclean, said it’s saving lives.
“If you can intervene early and actually prevent a course of conduct that can lead to tragedy, well, why don’t you do it?” he told 60 Minutes.
Watch the full episode of 60 Minutes on 9Now.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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