Racine Man Begged Forgiveness From Woman He Tried To Kill: Police

RACINE, WI — A man out on bond for attempted homicide faces more prison time after police say he begged the woman he tried to kill for forgiveness.

James B. Kapla, 63, of Racine, was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide in Sauk County on Sep. 26 after police say he stabbed a woman in the neck over an argument about his drinking. Kapla was released from the Sauk County Jail on Oct. 8 after posting a $25,000 cash bond.

On Tuesday, Kapla was issued 47 new charges: 24 counts of bail jumping and 23 more counts of violating a domestic abuse injunction after police said he tried numerous times to call the woman he tried to kill.

According to a criminal complaint filed shortly after his arrest, Kapla had been trying to quit drinking. After an argument at the bar, the woman left, and returned to the condo where she had been staying, only to have Kapla follow her back. A dispute between Kapla and the woman escalated, with Kapla rummaging through drawers for a wood-handled knife.

According to the criminal complaint, Kapla told the woman "I'm going to kill you." Police say Kapla stabbed the woman twice in the neck, with the woman suffering deep lacerations to her neck area before she was able to escape to safety.

Kapla was arrested again on Nov. 27 after investigators in Racine County learned Kapla had been contacting the woman he tried to kill in violation of the terms of his release from the Sauk County Jail.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Racine County, Kapla called the woman on Nov. 24, saying that "he couldn't live with himself if what he was being accused with was true," as he begged for forgiveness from her.

Police said the phone calls from Kapla continued, in which Kapla said he was lonely, that he would probably die in prison in addition to implying that he would die by suicide.

On the third day of calls, Kapla told the woman that he drank bleach. The woman called 911 out of concern for his safety. Later that day, the woman went to her cell phone provider, printed out her call logs and delivered them to an investigator, according to the complaint.

According to police, those call logs showed that Kapla called the woman 23 times over a four-day period. Police responded to Kapla's house on the 800 block of Carlton Drive on Nov. 27. Records showed that Kapla had been drinking, and had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.21. He is currently being held in the Racine County Jail on a $136,500 cash bond.

Image Via Racine County Jail