Lawrence man pleads guilty to the attempted murder of his wife

A 39-year-old Lawrence man pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder Thursday in Douglas County District Court.

Timothy L. Foster had originally also been charged with attempted rape, stemming from a November 2011 incident in which he was accused of stabbing his wife and also trying to remove her clothes in an attempt to rape her.

Foster and his family moved to Lawrence from Tonganoxie about six months prior to the incident, which took place at the family’s home in the 500 block of John Doy Court, near Peterson Road and Kasold Drive. The wife was taken to Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka in serious condition after suffering the stab wounds, according to Lawrence police.

In September, Douglas County District Court Judge Paula Martin reviewed a mental health evaluation performed on Foster and ruled that Foster was competent for trial.

The attempted rape charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Attempted first-degree murder is a level-1 person felony in Kansas, punishable by between 12 and 54 years in prison, depending on someone’s criminal history.