Abbotsford Man Will Have Trial Overseen by Judge for Charges Related to the Stabbing Deaths of His Two Children

Wednesday, September 9th, 2026 -- 11:01 AM

(Karen Madden, Marshfield News-Herald) A 31-year-old Abbotsford man will have a trial overseen by a judge for charges related to the July 2024 stabbing deaths of two children and stabbing of a woman multiple times.

According to Karen Madden with the Marshfield News-Herald, Victor M. Gomez Acosta pleaded no contest and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide during a hearing Sept. 4.

A no contest plea means Gomez Acosta is not admitting to the charges, but he is admitting there is enough evidence to convict him. Gomez Acosta entering the no contest plea means there will be no trial to determine if he is guilty of the crimes.

There will be a trial, however, to determine if he was mentally responsible for the crimes. Gomez Acosta has waived his right to a jury trial for the mental illness part of the trial.

Instead, Clark County Circuit Judge Lyndsey Brunette will make the decision on whether Gomez Acosta was mentally able to conform with the law when he killed the two children and stabbed a woman.

On Sept. 3, 2024, Brunette found Gomez Acosta incompetent to stand trial and ordered him to a secure mental health facility for treatment. On Dec. 18, 2024, Brunette found Gomez Acosta was competent to stand trial.

An eight-day trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 16. According to the criminal complaint, at 1:39 a.m. July 5, 2024, a caller reported a woman had been stabbed and was in a mobile home in the 300 block of East Oak Street in Abbotsford.

The caller said the man the caller thought stabbed the woman was in another mobile home a few doors down. When officers arrived, they found a woman sitting in a chair, leaning forward.

The woman was bleeding heavily, according to the complaint. The woman said she was having trouble breathing, felt tired and was not able to talk. When asked what happened, the woman said she didn't know. "We were all sleeping, and he stabbed me," the woman said.

Central Fire and EMS arrived a short time later, treated the woman and took her to Marshfield Medical Center. Officers later learned the woman had been stabbed 17 times, including one time that cut a vocal chord and one time that came close to her jugular vein, according to the complaint.

The woman's injuries required surgery. Officers saw Gomez Acosta inside the second mobile home and ordered him to come out. When he did not come out, an officer who spoke Spanish gave the orders in Spanish.

Gomez Acosta's sister arrived on scene and officers asked her to call her brother and talk to him on the phone. Afterward, an officer tried calling Gomez Acosta too, but he would not talk or come out.

Gomez Acosta eventually came out of the mobile home, carrying a knife, according to the complaint. On the officer's command, he dropped it at his feet. Gomez Acosta then went back into the mobile home and got down on his knees.

When the officer ordered him to come out, he walked out on his knees and police took him into custody. When officers went into the mobile home, they found two children dead in a bedroom.

An autopsy found the older child had 20 stab wounds and the young child had 16 stab wounds. The cause of death for both children was the wounds, according to the complaint. When police arrived at the Colby-Abbotsford Police Department, they discovered Gomez Acosta had eight stab wounds to his chest.

Police called an ambulance to take him to Marshfield Medical Center. On the way, one of the EMS members said Gomez Acosta asked for how long he was going to jail, said a prayer in Spanish and said the two children were with God now.

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