Background: The neighborhood in Little Chute, Wis., where Rudolf Knapp allegedly assaulted his girlfriend (Google Maps). Inset: Rudolf Knapp (Outagamie County Sheriff's Office).
A Wisconsin man accused of strangling his girlfriend told police that she was the one who was hurting him.
Rudolf Knapp, 59, is in custody at the Outagamie County Jail after he was arrested on Sunday and charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, strangulation, battery, and disorderly conduct. According to a Facebook post by the Fox Valley Metro Police Department, officers responded to a home in Little Chute, Wisconsin, at 11:45 p.m. after receiving a call about a disturbance.
According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, the call was placed by the son of a woman living in the home, who told dispatchers that his mother was "screaming for help." The boy then told dispatchers that his mother was being choked by an "unknown male." Police said dispatchers noted that the boy stopped answering questions and there was "a lot of screaming in the background."
According to the complaint, the woman was holding a bag of frozen food to her right eye when police arrived. Officers noticed that she had a bloody mouth and "red marks" on her neck. She told police she did not want to discuss the alleged incident in front of her son. While she initially refused medical treatment, she had a friend bring her to the hospital. The woman told police that she wanted Knapp arrested so she could "feel safe."
While being treated at the hospital, the woman told police that she was eating gelato while she and Knapp were in bed on Sunday night when the couple started arguing. Knapp allegedly got on top of her, put his hands around her neck, and started to choke her. Police said the woman was unable to breathe or speak and went "in and out of consciousness."
The woman told police that she "thought she was going to die."
Officers spoke to the woman's son, who told them that he heard a commotion from his mother's bedroom and then heard her screaming. He then saw a man he did not know, later identified as Knapp, on top of her. He started yelling at Knapp, asking him what he was doing in the house and who he was. Knapp was reportedly getting his coat on before fleeing the scene in his Mercedes Benz.
Police said the woman has since been released from the hospital, and she let investigators look at her phone. According to the complaint, Knapp sent her a number of texts that she did not respond to. One of them read, "I have no idea how I lost control the way I did tonight. I am evil and sick. There is no question in my mind of what I have to do now," and "Thank you for one last good day." Knapp allegedly made several threats to take his own life.
According to the complaint, police spoke with one of Knapp's friends, who said that he allegedly confessed to the assault and made suicidal comments. Police went to Knapp's home, but he refused to answer the door. On Monday, Knapp showed up at the Outagamie Sheriff's Office to report that he had been "drugged and assaulted."
When police questioned Knapp, he told them he acted in self-defense, telling officers, "I just wanted her to stop hurting me. I was just so tired of being hurt by everybody." According to the complaint, he told the police that the woman gave him hydroxyzine to help with his anxiety after they attended church on Easter. When they went to bed that night, Knapp said the woman allegedly started "swinging" a box cutter or razor blade at him while screaming about the custody of her children.
Knapp allegedly told police that he "had no other option" than to strangle the woman because she was "going to kill him." He also claimed that the woman put Xanax in a soda she gave him.
Police questioned Knapp about the cuts that were on his body, telling him they were not consistent with the struggle he or the woman described. He then reportedly told police he had mental health issues, saying, "I am a monster. I've never been a bad person," when asked why he allegedly reacted the way he did. He also admitted that the cuts on his body were self-inflicted.
Knapp is currently in custody at the Outagamie County Jail, where he is being held on $500,000 cash bond. He appeared in court on Tuesday, and his next appearance has not yet been scheduled.
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