A man has been charged with attempted murder after prosecutors say he stabbed his wife multiple times at a Waukegan apartment, seriously injuring her, while their three-year-old child was present.
Israel Gaspar, 49, of Waukegan, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated domestic battery, two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of domestic battery.
The Waukegan Police Department responded on February 3 to an apartment building in the 2100 block of Lorraine Avenue after a neighbor called 911 to report a woman yelling for help outside.
Police also received reports of a woman who had been stabbed.
Officers arrived and found a woman sitting outside her apartment door with multiple lacerations to her thighs and a puncture wound to her stomach, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Manuel Mandujano said during a detention hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Officers rendered first aid and learned that the woman’s husband, Gaspar, was possibly inside the apartment.
The woman also indicated that her three-year-old child was inside the apartment, Mandujano said.
Officers entered the apartment to check on the child’s wellbeing, but Gaspar had already fled the scene upon police arrival, according to a police report.
Officers continued to render aid until paramedics with the Waukegan Fire Department arrived.
Officers found a large steak knife in a kitchen sink, a strong smell of a cleaning chemical, a bucket of water, a mop in the bathroom and a broom in the bathtub, Mandujano said.
The woman told police that Gaspar had been drinking since two days prior.
The woman told Gaspar that she was done and was going to leave him, but Gaspar allegedly said, “You can leave, but I’m going to kill you.”
Gaspar then allegedly grabbed the steak knife, and the woman tried to get away.
Gaspar pushed his wife against the wall, held his arm against her neck, and stabbed her in the stomach, Mandujano said.
Gaspar then allegedly swung the knife down and stabbed his wife in her thighs.
The woman was allegedly stabbed a total of three times: once in her stomach and twice in her thighs.
The couple’s three-year-old child was present at the time, Mandujano said.
Paramedics rushed the woman to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where a CT scan showed she was bleeding internally.
The woman underwent surgery, and the surgeons learned she suffered internal organ damage.
Medical staff estimated the leg stab wound to be 11 centimeters, or about 4.3 inches, in depth, Mandujano said.
After the stabbing, police checked the surrounding area for Gaspar but were unable to locate him.
An Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN) alert was broadcast to area police departments with Gaspar’s description.
An arrest warrant was later issued for Gaspar.
On February 7, a Waukegan police officer recognized Gaspar walking on West Grove Avenue near Western Avenue, according to a police report.
The officer continued to observe Gaspar while backup responded.
Gaspar was taken into custody at the Glen Flora Laundromat, 916 West Glen Flora Avenue, the report said.
He later appeared for his first appearance hearing on Sunday.
Gaspar has prior domestic violence cases with the same woman.
In October 2021, Gaspar was charged after battering his wife in Waukegan, court records show.
In that case, Gaspar was intoxicated and punched his wife in the head during an argument over who would take care of their baby, Mandujano said.
Gaspar broke the woman’s phone when she called 911 and continued to batter her.
When Gaspar took the baby and left, the woman used his phone that he left behind to call 911 for a second time.
When Gaspar learned his wife was calling 911 again, he put the baby down and fled the scene, Mandujano said.
The woman had visible injuries and was hospitalized at Vista Medical Center East.
Prosecutors negotiated a plea deal with Gaspar in that case, and he was sentenced to probation in May 2022, court records show.
The woman had obtained an order of protection against Gaspar three separate times, Mandujano said.
“This particular defendant poses the greatest danger and threat to the victim and their child,” Mandujano told Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak at the Tuesday detention hearing.
Mandujano asked Potkonjak to deny Gaspar’s pre-trial release, adding that there’s no condition or combination of conditions that would ensure the safety of the victim and her child.
Potkonjak granted the prosecutor’s request and ordered Gaspar detained in the Lake County Jail.
Gaspar is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on March 14.