Georgia Military Divorce Attorney – Attempted murder charge awaits Army major accused of targeting wife

Georgia Military Divorce Attorney – Attempted murder charge awaits Army major accused of targeting wife

By Shane Hoover

CANTON — An Army major accused of threatening his estranged wife now faces a charge that he planned to kill her.

A Stark County grand jury has indicted Phillip L. Jose, 46, of El Paso, Texas, with attempted aggravated murder, violating a protection order, menacing by stalking and possessing criminal tools.

If he is convicted, the attempted aggravated murder charge alone can bring up to 10 years in prison.

He remains in jail and will be arraigned Friday in Stark County Common Pleas Court.

Acting with prior calculation and design, Jose attempted to kill his wife on April 5, according to the indictment. North Canton police found him parked near her home on Woodrow Street NW.

Jose didn’t make contact with his wife. Earlier that day, she told police that he was trying to find her, and she already had moved from her residence, police have said.

A court order barred Jose from contacting her. Additionally, she contacted North Canton police in November, February and March alleging he had threatened her.

Jose’s wife filed for divorce in May in Summit County. The case is pending.

After arresting Jose on warrants out of Twinsburg, police collected as evidence two knives, plastic zip ties, a large roll of duct tape and several tools, including a pry bar, a hammer, bolt cutters and a sledge hammer, according to a police report.

Jose told police he had come to see his children, but police said a court order barred him from doing that.

Police initially charged Jose with felony menacing by stalking and violating a protection order, a misdemeanor.

The attempted aggravated murder and criminal tools charges were added, and the protection order violation upgraded to a felony, during the grand jury process.

Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Jennifer Dave said she couldn’t discuss details of the case, including the evidence behind the new charges, while the case is pending.

Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington is an Augusta GA divorce lawyer & Georgia Military Divorce Lawyer Augusta Georgia domestic mediator.  She is an Augusta military divorce lawyer, GA child custody attorney , and Augusta Georgia child support attorney.  She offers mediation for divorce, child custody, and child support.