Editor’s Note: NBC10 is not identifying the suspect in order to protect the identity of the victim.
Bystanders rushed in to save a woman after her estranged husband stabbed her in the legs outside the King of Prussia Walmart in an attempt to kidnap, rape and kill her, investigators said.
On Sunday, Nov. 19, at 10:45 a.m., Upper Merion Police responded to the Walmart on North Gulph Road in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, for a report of a man attacking a woman in the store’s parking lot.
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When the officers arrived, they spotted a woman who was crying and shaking in the parking lot with visible red marks and blood on her legs. The woman told investigators she had loaded groceries inside her vehicle after shopping at the Walmart. As she entered the vehicle, she observed a man -- who she identified as her estranged husband whom she had an active protection from abuse order against -- approaching her vehicle, investigators said. When the man opened the driver’s side door, the woman spotted what appeared to be a black handgun and a large metal pick in his hands, according to the criminal complaint.
The 52-year-old man allegedly told his estranged wife to “move over, I’m going to f—--- shoot you. I’m going to f—--- shoot you if you don’t move over.” The man then repeatedly stabbed the woman in her legs with the metal pick, investigators said. He repeatedly told her, “don’t get out of the car” and forced her to the passenger’s seat, according to the criminal complaint.
The woman told police she was able to exit the passenger’s side of the vehicle and screamed for help as several bystanders came to her aid. Her estranged husband then fled the scene, according to investigators.
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The responding officers then spotted a man, who they identified as the victim’s estranged husband, hunched behind a pickup truck in the parking lot of 200 North Warner Road near the Walmart. The officers said the man had a large metal pick sticking out from his sweatshirt pocket as well as black zip-ties in the shape of handcuffs. Investigators also said one of the officers found a black duffel bag with a black handgun on top in the bed of the pickup truck.
Investigators also said the suspect was in possession of a green pill bottle with suspected methamphetamine inside.
Following a search warrant, investigators found an ID card and bank and membership cards identifying the suspect, a black “pepper ball” gun with two magazines, two metal piercing tools with wooden handles, a black blindfold, black duct tape, zip-ties, a black knife, wire cutters, pliers, scissors, flashlights, a bottle of KY jelly, a plastic hose, an envelope addressed to his brother, a black binder with notebooks and handwritten notes inside and a wooden piercing tool with the writing “To —------” *we are not including the name to protect the identity of the victim*
The envelope also contained a two-page note that detailed how the suspect had stalked his estranged wife in the days prior to Sunday’s attack and his plans to rape and kill her before taking his own life, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators also said they recovered a tracking device underneath the victim’s vehicle which the suspect allegedly admitted to placing.
Officials confirmed the victim had applied for a temporary protection from abuse order against her estranged husband on Sept. 28, 2023, that was granted by the courts.
A final protection from abuse order was then issued by the courts on Oct. 5, 2023, and was set to expire on Oct. 4, 2024. The order prohibited the suspect from any contact with the victim.
The suspect violated the order on Oct. 20 when he followed his estranged wife throughout Upper Merion Township and yelled at her on at least two occasions, investigators said. He was then arrested on Oct. 30, arraigned on Oct. 31 and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Investigators said the envelope found in the suspect’s bag on Nov. 19 included a document with his October release date on it, the date of his future court appearance and the following statement:
I have 1.5 months to kill that B—-. Could have killed her 17 times if I wanted. What a week system
Based on their interviews and evidence, police arrested the suspect again on Sunday and charged him with aggravated assault, stalking, false imprisonment, terroristic threats, possessing an instrument of crime, possession of a controlled substance, and other related offenses. He was arraigned and denied bail on Monday. He was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility with a preliminary hearing scheduled for next month.
Online court records currently don’t list an attorney for the suspect.
The victim continues to recover from her injuries.
“The most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is when she leaves her abuser. This victim worked to keep herself safe by obtaining a PFA and reporting the defendant when he violated the PFA by obsessively stalking her. Thankfully, bystanders intervened to help the victim yesterday,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said. “This case demonstrates just how dangerous domestic violence is, including stalking behavior. Laurel House and the Women’s Center of Montgomery County are always available to help victims and those looking to leave an abusive relationship.”
National statistics show that 81 percent of women who were stalked by a current or former husband/cohabitating partner were also physically assaulted while 31 percent were sexually assaulted, according to Laurel House, Montgomery County's domestic violence agency.
You can contact Laurel House at any day or time by calling 1-800-642--3150 or texting "HOPE" to 85511.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
