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Walter Joseph Vandoren Jr., 44, of Bristol Township, had pleaded guilty in May to attempted homicide, burglary, criminal trespass, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, and criminal mischief, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
The woman was separated from Vandoren for a year, and she had an active Protection from Abuse (PFA) order against him, authorities said. In the days prior to the attack, Vandoren had been sending angry texts to her for about four to five days until she blocked his number.
The woman was in the backyard of her Buckley Street home with a friend when Vandoren jumped the fence on Aug. 3, 2020.
The woman and her friend ran inside the house and locked the door, but Vandoren chased them, punched open a window, and unlocked the door.
Vandoren continued to chase them, and they tried to escape by climbing to the roof and through an upstairs window, authorities said. Vandoren went after the friend until the friend fell off the roof and injured himself.
The woman tried to hide inside her house, but Vandoren eventually returned, pushed in an air conditioner, and climbed back inside. He was armed with a butcher knife and chased her into the backyard, threatening to kill her, Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler said.
“He came at her at the side of the home as she screamed for help and he wrapped his left arm around her and started stabbing her twice in the side of her stomach with his other arm,” Kohler said.
"Her 8-year-old daughter was present at the time of the attack which occurred right in front of her."
The woman tried to grab the knife to stop Vandoren from stabbing her again, but he continued while making threats to kill her and then stabbed her in the chest, authorities said.
He laid on top of her as she bled out repeatedly whispering in her ear “You are dead, you are going to die,” as their child looked on, the DA's office said.
After receiving multiple 911 calls about a victim screaming for help, Bristol Borough officers arrived at the home around 6 a.m. to find Vandoren holding the knife and on top of his estranged wife, who was screaming and covered in blood, authorities said.
Officers had to break down a locked fence to get to Vandoren and are credited with saving her life, the DA's office said.
Vandoren was taken into custody with two knives on his person, authorities said.
The woman was bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds and was rushed to an area hospital for emergency surgery.
The woman was in critical condition for two weeks and was released after three weeks in the hospital, authorities said.
Her injuries required multiple surgeries and left her without the use of one of her hands and the removal of her spleen, the DA's office said.
Additionally, her diaphragm had been punctured, causing her to have trouble breathing to this day.
“This defendant was hell-bent on killing his victim in front of her child," District Attorney Matt Weintraub said.
"But for the police heroically intervening to save her life during his all-out onslaught against her, she’d be dead right now. He deserves every minute of the sentence the judge gave him. As it stands, he will not even be eligible for parole until he’s a senior citizen, decades from now.”
Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley reprimanded Vandoren in court Thursday before sentencing him to state prison for 22 to 46 years.
"If you wanted to commit suicide by cop, that’s fine," adding that it was an evil act to try to take another person's life with him, according to the DA's office.
This case was investigated by the Bristol Borough Police Department and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler.
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