Slasher Arrested After Attempted Murder/Suicide

"MIDVALE, UT — A man who police say had plans to kill his wife, his son and then himself because of financial problems was arrested after allegedly slitting his wife's throat.

"The man's wife was sleeping in her bed about 10 p.m. Sunday at their house, 774 E. Gables Street, when her husband got a butcher knife from the kitchen and began slashing her throat, said Unified Police detective Levi Hughes.

"The couple's 9-year-old son was asleep in another room and was not injured.

"The woman was able to fight off her husband and get to a phone to call 911, Hughes said. A pair of Unified police officers happened to be nearby.

"`She fights him off. (Officers) arrive. She comes running out the door. She is covered in blood. He followed with blood on his hands and face,` Hughes said.

"When officers took the man into custody, he began screaming that he had `lost his mind` and was going to kill his family and himself, Hughes said.

"The woman was taken to a local hospital in serious condition with a cut to her neck. The cut severed at least one artery, he said.

"Joseph Dean Gutke, 34, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of attempted homicide. Hughes said Gutke, who is employed, reportedly wanted to kill his wife and son as a way of solving their financial problems.

"Investigators said there was a slight odor of alcohol on Gutke's breath when he was arrested but they do not believe he was intoxicated."

From KSL.com...