Man kills self after attacking couple, fatally stabbing husband, Redding police say

A Redding man took his own life Thursday morning following a stabbing that targeted a husband and wife in their home, killing one and injuring the other during a party the man had been invited to, police said.

Francis Peter Lane, 46, was found dead in his truck on Dream Street at 3 a.m. with self-inflicted wounds and a knife that matched the description of one used to kill a 67-year-old man, according to a news release by the Redding Police Department.

The previous evening, Lane had been invited to a party at the Everest Drive home of Robert and Minerva Whitman, both 67, who knew him as an acquaintance and had tried to help him with personal problems in the past, according to the release.

Witnesses at the party said Lane arrived around 7:40 p.m., asked to see Robert Whitman and immediately began stabbing him when he found him, according to the release.

Minerva Whitman tried to protect her husband, and Lane stabbed her in the face, police said. Robert Whitman was stabbed several times and suffered a serious stab wound in his neck, according to the release.

Surveillance video shows Lane fleeing right after the attack in a white 2011 Toyota Tacoma, according to the release.

The Whitmans were transported to Mercy Medical Center, where Robert Whitman died. Minerva Whitman was later released, police said.

During the search for Lane, investigators were told by people who knew him that he had been “acting strange recently, was dangerous, and potentially armed,” the release said.

Lane was eventually found in his truck at the south end of Dream Street, a few blocks from the Whitman residence, with what appeared to be self-inflicted wounds on his arms and the knife from the stabbing, according to the release.

Police do not expect any further arrests related to the stabbing, according to the release.