Man guilty in knife, nunchuck attack on Wichita family at gas station
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Julian Gonzalez pleaded guilty to attempted murder in Wichita stabbing case.
- Bystanders intervened during 2022 gas station attack, halting further violence.
- Gonzalez faces sentencing on Aug. 29 after admitting to multiple felony charges.
A 40-year-old Newton man has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges in a stabbing attack on a couple and their two young children at a Wichita gas station in 2022.
Good Samaritans put themselves in harm’s way to halt the violence against the family, leading Wichita police to honor the brave bystanders with an Outstanding Citizens Award the following year.
Police have said Julian Luis Gonzalez followed the family while they were driving and intentionally rammed his vehicle into their car after they pulled into the Conoco station at 802 N. West St. around 6 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2022. According to police, Gonzalez got out of his vehicle after the crash, used nunchucks to break windows on the family’s car and then started stabbing the couple, a 30-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, with a knife while their 4-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son were in the back seat.
The 30-year-old man crawled into the back of the car to shield the children from the attack, court records say.
The couple later told police they believed Gonzalez would have killed the 30-year-old man and his young son had the Good Samaritans not intervened. Bystanders helped in several ways, including driving a car at Gonzalez, holding him at gunpoint and subduing him until officers arrived, according to police and court records.
Gonzalez had previously dated the 28-year-old woman and followed the family from their Wichita apartment complex, court records say.
In his interview with police, Gonzalez claimed the 30-year-old man had been the aggressor and that he had been defending himself. Video surveillance footage contradicted his story.
Gonzalez pleaded guilty on Monday to attempted second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated child endangerment, court records show.
He is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 29.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM.
