Charges against the Warsaw man who allegedly attacked his wife with a hatchet Monday have been upgraded to include attempted murder, a level 1 felony.
Joseph Mwaura Waithira, 37, of 3932 W. Old 30, originally was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 10:19 p.m. Monday for domestic battery, resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony. A charge of strangulation, a level 6 felony, also has been filed against him.
His bond was set at $500,000 surety and $250 cash.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday, at 6:16 p.m. Monday, the Kosciusko County 911 Central Dispatch Center received a call from a neighbor of Waithira who said Waithira’s children came to the neighbor’s home for help because Joseph was killing their mother, Sandy Waithira, inside their residence.
Upon arrival by area law enforcement, Warsaw Police Department officer Jacob Metzger saw a man covered with blood – later identified as Joseph – sitting on top of Sandy. Metzger saw severe “chops” to Sandy’s head with a hatchet, which was lying nearby.
Metzger placed Joseph in handcuffs and rendered aid to Sandy, who was experiencing severe blood loss from her head wounds.
Sandy was taken to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne by medical helicopter. She was in “fair” condition today.
The Waithira children told officers that during dinner and while watching television, their mother indicated she wanted to relax in the bedroom. Shortly after that, Joseph went into the same bedroom. The children heard sounds from the bedroom, which they first thought were laughter, but then realized it was their mother crying. The children told police they went into the bedroom and saw their father standing over their mother holding a “small ax.” They went to the neighbor’s to get help for their mother.
Officers searched the residence, and on the bedroom floor found a hatchet with blood and hair on it. Blood and hair also were found in different areas of the bedroom.
On Tuesday, officers went to Lutheran Hospital and saw Sandy’s injuries. Hospital personnel said she had seven blows causing injuries to her head, two resulting in skull fractures. One of the blows caused a large cut at or above the size of a hatchet blade to the front of her head above her nose. Her right ear was severed and surgically reattached. She had two cuts to her upper body. Severe bruising to her neck was consistent with being strangled, police said.
Sandy told hospital staff that her husband tried to kill her.
