A man who allegedly tried to kill his ex-wife at the former couple’s residence in Dover New Jersey is now saying that he merely acted in self-defense.

The domestic violence incident went down on January 25, 2015 at a home on West Blackwell Street in Dover, NJ. According to law enforcement, the suspect and his former wife began to argue about money, with the verbal altercation eventually spilling over into violence.

Things took a really bad turn when the suspect allegedly grabbed a steak knife and tried to kill his ex-wife by stabbing her repeatedly. Morris County NJ prosecutors allege that the suspect stabbed the victim eight times: three times in the legs, twice in the back, twice in the chest, and once in her arm.

The couple has a 10-year-old girl who was present during the violent incident. The child reportedly tried to intervene during the attack. Thankfully, the minor was not harmed at any point as a result of the incident.

After allegedly stabbing the victim, the suspect ran out of the Dover house and fled to Penn Station. The suspect reportedly caught a train at the station and eventually ended up in Queens, NY.

Authorities were able to track the suspect to New York, where they captured him and placed him under arrest.

After being apprehended by police, detectives with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office questioned the suspect about the stabbing incident. The suspect reportedly waived his right to remain silent during the questioning. However, the suspect’s criminal defense lawyer now contests the admissibility of the audio recorded evidence due to a translation issue. A Morris County Superior Court judge will probably rule on the evidentiary issue sometime next month.

The 30-year-old suspect faces severe criminal penalties if he is convicted on any of the criminal charges in the case. The suspect has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. The suspect was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child because his daughter was in the Dover NJ home during the violent attack.

Although the suspect and the victim were divorced at the time of the alleged assault, they were reportedly living together. It is not believed that the suspect was subject to a restraining order.

The suspect is from Ecuador and is said to be in the US illegally. As a result, he could face deportation proceedings once the criminal matter is resolved.

Dover Attempted Murder Charges in Morris County NJ

For more information about this case, access the DailyRecord.com article, “Dover Man Charged with Attempted Murder Claims Ex-Wife Assaulted Him First.”

If you or a loved one needs legal representation for criminal domestic violence charges in Morris County such as aggravated assault, attempted murder, or possession of a weapon with an unlawful purpose, we can help. Our lawyers have literally handled thousands of domestic violence criminal cases with great success. Contact our Morristown office now for immediate assistance, the initial consultation is always provided free of charge.