A Bristol Township man pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to kill his ex-wife last August in Bristol Borough.
Walter Van Doren, 44 pleaded guilty to attempted homicide with his sentencing scheduled for a later date.
Prosecutors say Van Doren had been separated from his wife for over a year and she had an active Protection From Abuse order against him.
On the day of the stabbing the victim was standing outside with her friend, When Van Doren jumped the fence and began his attack. The two attempted to flee by climbing to the roof and through an upstairs window, investigators said.
Vandoren went after the victims friend until the friend fell off the roof and injured himself, prosecutors said.
The victim tried to hide inside her home, but Van Doren eventually came back, pushing in an air conditioning unit, climbing inside. He was armed with a butcher knife at the time, prosecutors said.
Upon arrival officers Kevin DiPalo and Dino Lepore were directed to the backyard by neighbors where the alleged attack was taken place, court documents say.
Scream from the backyard could be heard, officers wrote in court documents at the time.
Police had to break down a six-foot stockade fence and then “tackled” the suspect while his attack continued with butcher knife in hand, said police.
“He came at her at the side of the home as she screamed for help and he wrapped his left arm around her and started stabbing her twice in the side of her stomach with his other arm,” Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler said.
Her 8-year-old daughter was present at the time of the attack, Kohler said.
The victim was in critical condition for two weeks and was released after three weeks in the hospital. Her injuries required multiple surgeries and left her without the use of one of her hands, said prosecutors.
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