Man Stabbed Ex-Wife In Back Over $300 In Child Support: Police

WAUKESHA, WI — A 56-year-old Waukesha man has been arrested and charged after police say he used a 9-inch kitchen knife to stab his former spouse in the back.

According to authorities, Javier Cruz has been charged with first-degree attempted homicide, use of a dangerous weapon and domestic abuse. He is being held in the Waukesha County jail on a $500,000 cash bond.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Waukesha County, the woman was grilling out with her friends on Saturday night outside her house. Police say Cruz pulled up to the house in his pickup truck, chased the woman down and stabbed her in the back with a knife. Children were nearby and saw their mother suffering on the ground, police said.

According to the criminal complaint, Javier Cruz told investigators that he was upset that he had to pay $300 a month in child support, stating that he was "tired of it."

Police said that when they arrived, they found the woman laying on the ground with a knife in her back and a blood-soaked towel wrapped around the knife - which was still in her back.

The woman was transported to the Waukesha Memorial Hospital emergency room with serious injuries. She is recovering from life-threatening injuries.

Reports indicated that several officers responded to the scene, and within three minutes of the police call, the man had been arrested and first responders were with the victim.

Three young children were inside the home during the stabbing and police are considering them witnesses in this case, according to earlier reports. They have been placed with other family members.

Waukesha County Jail Photo