A Warsaw man has pled guilty to attempted murder in a February 2024 stabbing.
Izak Vincent Eugene Newton, 29, Warsaw, was initially charged with attempted murder, a level 1 felony; aggravated battery, a level 3 felony; intimidation with a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony; and invasion of privacy, a class A misdemeanor.
Newton's plea agreement states he will receive a 25-year sentence, with 20 years executed and five years on probation. The remaining charges will be dismissed.
Plea acceptance and sentencing will take place at 8:30 a.m. April 14 in Kosciusko Circuit Court.
Affidavit of Probable Cause
On Feb. 21, 2024, law enforcement responded to a stabbing at the Canterbury House Apartments in Warsaw. A man was reportedly stabbed about eight to nine times. The suspect, later identified as Newton, fled the scene on foot.
According to court documents, upon arrival at the scene, a Warsaw Police officer found the man in a front yard, covered in blood. A woman at the scene said Newton stabbed the man and provided law enforcement with a description of Newton.
Emergency medical services arrived on scene and initially counted about 19 stab wounds on the man, who was taken to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital by ambulance. He was later airlifted to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
When asked about the incident, the woman said she heard commotion and saw Newton walk into the man's bedroom and stab him. The woman pulled Newton off the man, who fled from the residence. However, Newton followed the man and pushed him against a charcoal grill. A child in the home witnessed the incident.
A neighbor to the residence where the incident occurred said he saw Newton push, hit and stab the man. He said the knife Newton used had a 4-inch blade.
The neighbor said he grabbed Newton's shoulder and asked what he was doing. Newton allegedly told the neighbor he was going to kill the man and began stabbing the man again. Newton then fled the scene.
Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted with the search for Newton, who was eventually found at a gravel pit near CR 100E. When officers found Newton, he was completely naked and wearing a crown made of brush. He told officers he believed he was Jesus.
Officers noticed wounds on Newton's hands consistent with knife wounds. Newton then made an excited utterance about the wounds being from his knife.
In an interview on Feb. 22, 2024, Newton said he suspected the man had an inappropriate relationship with two underage individuals, including the child in the home. He also alleged the man taught the child "evil matter." Newton said he stabbed the man's neck and body, and also hit the man's head.
When asked if he felt angry toward the man, Newton responded in the affirmative.