Man Gets 25 Years For Beating Wife With AR-15
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) – A Weld County man will spend the next two decades behind bars after severely beating his now ex-wife with an AR-15 -- while their young children were present.
Police were called to the home in LaSalle on March 17, 2017, and found the victim's face was bloody, swollen and disfigured.
According to court documents, the victim told officers that 28-year-old David Guthier, came home while she was sitting on the couch with her 4-year-old son. Their other young child was sleeping in another bedroom nearby.
She told police Guthier had been drinking when he grabbed her and dragged her into a bedroom. She said he tore off all her clothes and began punching her in the face and repeatedly kicked her genitals.
She told police Guthier grabbed an AR-15 rifle and began beating her in the face with the stock of the rifle.
The victim said she lost consciousness when Guthier began hitting her again and strangled her. She told officers that's when she thought she was going to die.
The victim suffered from serious bodily injury, including a broken nose and cracked pelvis.
According to the arrest affidavit, officers found the AR-15 on the floor covered in blood. There were also pieces of long female hair and scalp found in it. At the scene, police found blood on the living room, bathroom and bedroom floors and on the bed. There was also a broken china cabinet in the living room and two holes punched in the wall in the bedroom, police said.
When police arrived, they found the defendant sleeping in the bedroom. Police also found anabolic steroids and syringes in the home during the investigation.
Guthier plead guilty to two felony assault charges and a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment. All three charges are all considered acts of domestic violence.
On Tuesday, as part of a plea agreement, a judge sentenced Guthier to 25 years in the Department of Corrections.
"This victim is lucky to be alive today," Assistant District Attorney Robb Miller said.
"On the day the defendant did this to his wife with his young children nearby, he tried breaking her down and bringing her to the lowest of lows. He tried breaking her physically, mentally and emotionally," Miller said. "And though he almost succeeded, he lost. It's actually the victim and the children who won. They won a new future where they can live a life of freedom and not live in fear anymore."
