(Spirit Lake)– A Spirit Lake man has been found guilty of attempted murder in connection with a vicious attack on a Spirit Lake woman back in July of last year.
District Judge Donald Duffy announced his verdict against 40-year-old James Naujock this (Thurs.) morning in Dickinson County District Court.
Naujock waived his right to a jury trial and Judge Duffy heard testimony in the case back in April of this year.
The victim, Val Waltz, sustained severe injuries in the incident that took place at her residence at 1406 Gary Avenue in Spirit Lake in the early morning of July 27th, 2010.
In her testimony at the trial, Waltz recalled being stricken numerous times with a fireplace poker, then being stabbed with a kitchen knife. She has since undergone numerous surgeries.
Naujock testified he was upset at Waltz because she was an hour late in driving him to an appointment the previous day.
Naujock testified that he didn’t intend to kill Waltz, only to give her a beating.
Sentencing for Naujock is set for 9:30 a.m. November 3rd in Dickinson County District Court. He faces up to a maximum of 25 years in prison, with a 17 1/2 year mandatory minimum.
Because he was found guilty of a forcible felony, Naujock was ordered held in the Dickinson county jail pending sentencing.
Waltz, who is still undergoing extensive medical treatments, was in the courtroom this (Thurs.) morning when the verdict was read…Click here to hear mp3 file
Waltz tells KUOO news she’s looking forward to going on with the rest of her life…Click here to hear mp3 file
Dickinson County Attorney Jason Carlstrom had this reaction…Click here to hear mp3 file
KUOO news attempted to contact defense attorney Ned Bjornstad for his reaction but he was not immediately available.
