Possible illegal alien charged with attempted murder of wife

Possible illegal alien charged with attempted murder of wife

By Staff ReportWayne Independent
Posted Feb 03, 2012 @ 03:42 PM

Honesdale, Pa. —

HONESDALE — A possible illegal alien and his wife are both in the hospital today after the man tried to strangle the woman during a late-night dispute.

Honesdale borough police obtained a warrant charging Jesus Martinez-Escobar, age 29, with Criminal Attempt to Commit Homicide, Aggravated Assault, Terroristic Threats and Recklessly Endangering Another Person after they got a call that he allegedly tried to strangle his wife with a video game cord before stabbing himself in the chest with a kitchen knife.

According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause filed by police to obtain the warrant, the couple had been having relationship problems for a few weeks and had decided to separate for a time.

In the early morning hours of Friday, Feb. 3., the victim was trying to sleep in their Main Street apartment when Martinez-Escobar came in wanting to talk and locked the bedroom door. She told police she agreed to talk, but when he said he wanted to get back together, she said she needed time to think and work things out.

At that point, Martinez-Escobar, who was behind his wife, wrapped a video game cord around her neck and began to choke her, telling her he was going to kill her, documents indicate.

The victim struggled and scratched at him, unable to scream for help because the cord was too tight. Eventually the cord broke free and she was able to unlock the door, but Martinez-Escobar grabbed her and pulled her back into the room.

According to the victim’s brother — who made the call to police — it was at this time he heard his sister screaming and came to her rescue, finding Martinez-Escobar on top of her pressing his arm on her neck.
Upon his arrival, Martinez-Escobar ran from the room.

The victim’s brother then went to tend to the couple’s two young children while she headed toward the bathroom. On her way there, she looked down the stairs and saw Martinez-Escobar stab himself in the chest and fall to the floor at the bottom of the stairs.

At that point, she went down the stairs, took the knife and went outside, calling for her brother to call 911 because she was still out of breath from being strangled.

When police arrived to find Martinez-Escobar lying in a pool of his own blood at the bottom of the stairs, he allegedly admitted to trying to kill his wife and himself. At that time, police say his victim was found on the sidewalk outside the apartment screaming, hyperventilating and wearing red marks on her neck consistent with strangulation.

She was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital and is being treated for her injuries.

Martinez-Escobar is currently in the intensive care unit of a Scranton hospital, under 24 hour watch by Honesdale police. He will be arrested and arraigned on two felonies and two misdemeanors upon his discharge.

In her press release, District Attorney Janine Edwards wrote: “This was a terrible incident of domestic violence. While I cannot undo the emotional and physical impact of domestic violence upon the victims, this office will diligently prosecute anyone charged with such a heinous crime to ensure that they never again harm that person or any person in the future.”

Edwards said her office and borough police are currently trying to determine whether Martinez-Escobar is in this country legally.

Anyone with any information regarding this matter is urged to contact the Honesdale Borough Police at 253-1900.

Wayne Independant