A Sharpsburg man on Tuesday stabbed his wife 17 times in their apartment and then, out of breath, called 911, according to police.
At 2:01 p.m., Victor Cute, 69, told 911 that he had stabbed his wife and she was lying on the floor bleeding, a criminal complaint said.
He was asked if the stabbing was accidental.
“No, it wasn’t,” Cute responded, according to the complaint.
Then he paused.
“Oh, dear God,” Cute said, out of breath.
Where is the victim stabbed?, the call-taker asked.
“All over,” he replied.
Police from at least four departments — Sharpsburg, Etna, Aspinwall and Millvale — responded to Cute’s apartment at 1614 Middle St. and found him standing outside, the complaint said. They took him into custody at 2:05 p.m.
First responders rushed the victim, Linda Mullen, 71, to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition. She was later upgraded to critical but stable condition, Allegheny County Police said Wednesday.
Cute told police he did not have a knife on him. Police did not indicate in the complaint whether they found the weapon used on Mullen.
Cute told detectives after his arrest Tuesday that he didn’t want to talk about the incident, the complaint said. But he gave authorities permission to process his apartment.
The complaint did not address a motive for the stabbing.
County police charged Cute with attempted homicide and aggravated assault. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and arraigned. Bail was denied.
A lawyer for Cute was not listed Wednesday in the court record.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 27.
Cute has a criminal record.
On March 24, 2014, Cute, then 59, pleaded guilty to a burglary charge, court records show.
Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Beth A. Lazzara sentenced him to 11 to 23 months behind bars, followed by three years of probation.
Cute also pleaded guilty to burglary and theft charges in 2003 and 2010, court records show. He was sentenced, respectively, to 23 months imprisonment and three years of probation in those cases.
