According to court documents, John Van Iten told investigators from the Door County Sheriff’s Department that god told him to stab his wife on November 1st at their home off of Claflin Park road in the Town of Gardner. The 67 year old Southern Door County man is expected to make an initial appearance in Door County circuit court in Sturgeon Bay Monday at 10AM on a charge of attempted first degree intentional homicide. During questioning, Van Iten allegedly showed no remorse for the stabbing & indicated that if he had to do it over again, he would have stabbed his wife in the heart. 67 year old Theresa Van Iten is convalescing at Saint Vincent hospital in Green Bay. According to the court complaint, her husband used a kitchen knife to stab her in the upper abdomen, causing a significant wound, a laceration to the liver & damage to the pancreas & vena cava, the large vein that carries blood to the atrium of the heart. The couple had packed their vehicle, intending to travel to Texas for a few months, when Theresa Van Iten was stabbed in the bathroom. Van Iten said the stabbing was not a spur of the moment act. He said he heard god through the television, magazines & in dreams. Van Iten is currently housed in the Door County jail on bail of $2.5 million.
