Burns, broken bones and teeth are some of the injuries a woman sustained during a three-day captivity, which has resulted in her former boyfriend being sentenced to spend the next ten years in jail, as reported by Maine's Morning Sentinel.
On April 18 R.A.H., 51, pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault. The indictment had read that the crimes, occurring between from July 31 to August 2 in an apartment in Augusta, "manifested extreme indifference to the value of human life."
R.A.H.'s girlfriend J.M.M., 58, claims that she still suffers from the trauma she faced during the kidnapping and beating.
Acting District Attorney Alan Kelley said, "This is an extremely significant domestic violence case -- one of the worst cases we've seen in a long time. These charges were the maximum we could charge under the law."
J.M.M. was able to escape her captor when he fell asleep. She was seen at MaineGeneral Medical Center for injuries that included a broken wrist, and cigarette burns on both of her legs and one arm.
The couple had been in a relationship for six months when R.A.H. asked J.M.M. to marry him. J.M.M. told authorities that she still loved R.A.H. – but she did not want to see him.
There have been two psychological studies done on R.A.H. since he was taken into custody.
Augusta Police Officer N.W. has listed all of the offenses, including the victim's injuries, in an affidavit. J.M.M. told the officer that R.A.H. had forced her into a room in the back of the apartment and kept her from any windows or doors. On July 31 R.A.H. broke her wrist as she attempted to make something to eat, later he broke her false teeth while punching and kicking her, and threatened to "poke her eyes out and feed them to her" after he drank a gallon of coffee brandy.
The affidavit also documents cuts seen around J.M.M.'s eyes.
When police arrived at the apartment, R.A.H. was still there. He was arrested for kidnapping, aggravated assault, and domestic violence terrorizing. He was also charged with probation on a Somerset County conviction.
R.A.H. has claimed that he blacked out due to the weekend of drinking and didn't recall if he had kept J.M.M. forcibly in the apartment. Kevin Sullivan, R.A.H.'s attorney, confirmed, "He did tell the judge today he had zero recall."
After R.A.H. completes the 10-year sentence he will have four years of probation. Kelley said, "We obtained a maximum incarceration of 10 years on the kidnapping and a consecutive 10-year suspended sentence on the aggravated assault. The extreme behavior on (R.A.H.'s) part justified the imposition of this kind of sentence."
Kelley added, "The victim said she still loves this man despite everything he's done to her. This case is a good example of how extreme domestic violence can become short of homicide."
Contact a Family Law attorney today if you have been a victim of domestic violence before your case becomes "short of homicide."