A man facing attempted murder charges for allegedly trying to kill his ex-wife in Dover NJ is now claiming that he acted in self-defense.

The frightening incident went down on January 25, 2015 at a residence on West Blackwell Street in Dover, New Jersey. Authorities believe that the violent altercation began when the suspect and his ex-wife got into an argument about finances.

According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect tried to kill his ex-wife by grabbing a steak knife and using it to stab her several times. The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim three times in the legs, two times in the chest, two times in her back, and once in her arm.

When the couple’s 10-year-old daughter tried to intervene and stop the alleged attack against her mother, the suspect reportedly retreated and fled the scene.

According to law enforcement, the suspect ran from the Dover house and went to Penn Station, where he caught a train and left New Jersey. The suspect was later tracked down and arrested by police in Queens, NY.

During questioning by Morris County NJ detectives, the suspect reportedly waived his right to remain silent. However, there is now a dispute about whether an audio tape of the suspect’s statements to police should be admissible as evidence in the criminal case. The suspect’s criminal defense lawyers said that a transcript of the audio tape may be inaccurate because the suspect spoke Spanish while being questioned by law enforcement. The Morris County Superior Court judge will likely issue a ruling on the evidence issue sometime in early August.

The 30-year-old suspect is said to be an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador. He has been charged with numerous crimes, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The suspect also faces criminal charges for endangering the welfare of a child because his young daughter was at the residence during the violent incident.

Although the suspect and the victim were divorced, they lived in the same home. The victim did not have a restraining order against the suspect at the time of the attack.

The suspect is now claiming that he stabbed the victim in self-defense while they both struggled to grab the steak knife. The suspect made the self-defense claim during pre-trial testimony in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown, NJ.

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