Man sentenced for fatally stabbing dad

The 25-year-old Onalaska man has been sentenced to serve 30 years in prison for fatally stabbing his father March 7..

Joshua Vance stabbed Terry Vance, 58, at least 11 times in their Onalaska home.

Joshua Vance admitted to police that he had also intended to kill three other family members who were home at the time – his 11-year-old nephew, 79-year-old grandmother and uncle.

He was unable to follow through with his intentions because he cut his hand so severely that he called 911 for medical help, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Vance pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and third-degree assault earlier this month.

Vance, who suffered from mental illness prior to the knife attack, stopped taking his medication due to issues with insurance, his defense attorney David Arcuri told the court Wednesday. While Vance suffered from some sort of psychosis disorder, it was not the reason he committed the murder, said Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher. Vance told a doctor, as well as a detective, why he killed his father, Meagher said.

Meagher told the court Wednesday that Vance reportedly said, “He was never a father to me,” to the doctor, later adding that stabbing him “made me feel much better.”