DENVER - A woman is afraid for her life after her ex-boyfriend allegedly beat her and threatened her after she broke up with him.
Eric Barney, 31, was arrested for assault, sexual assault, felony menacing and kidnapping for allegedly holding his ex-girlfriend hostage after a barrage of various other alleged attacks on her.
The alleged victim spoke to 9NEWS Monday about the alleged attacks and her relationship with Barney. She said they began dating in May and at first things were wonderful, but shortly after, Barney became abusive. 9NEWS is not identifying her because she is a victim of abuse.
The alleged victim first reported Barney's violent actions on July 24. She had let Barney borrow her car before they broke up, so he returned the car on July 24, according to reports. The alleged victim claims he insisted on talking with her.
"The victim stated that when she told the suspect that he needed to leave, he became physically violent, striking her multiple times in the face and arms," the police report reads. "They victim stated that the suspect also attempted to strangle her and smother her with a pillow. The victim stated that at one point, she was attempting to leave the house when the suspect grabbed her and threw her to the ground, causing her to strike her head on a metal television stand."
She was admitted to Lutheran Medical Center on July 25 with lacerations on her face, as well as a broken nose. It was then she revealed to police that Barney allegedly told her that if she called 911, "she would be dead before she hung up the phone."
A few days later, the alleged victim came to the police station with a bruise under her right eye, according to police. The police report says Barney appeared at her home, using a key she didn't know he had, and threatened her and her family. She requested a safe haven to live in since she did not feel safe.
On Sept. 28, the alleged victim appeared in the hospital again with two broken ribs, a broken nose and bruises on her face. She claimed to police that Barney showed up at her place on July 29 while she was sleeping and controlled her actions for nearly two months - making her hang up the phone, not use the Internet and monitoring all communication she had with friends and family. According to the alleged victim, he threatened her multiple times with a kitchen knife.
At one point, the alleged victim claimed Barney punched her in the face, breaking her nose - which she tried to reset herself. The alleged victim claims that Barney sexually assaulted her multiple times in those months.
The alleged victim says she finally told her brother about the abuse and it was at that point she went to the hospital. Her brother told police that there were blood stains on her bedroom walls, as well as numerous holes in the wall of her home.
Barney remains in police custody.
The alleged victim says she is working on starting over and healing.
In sharing her story, she said she never thought she would be a victim of domestic violence and wants all women to know: "If you are in this type of relationship, get out. No matter what you lose, because you could also lose your life."
Ways to get help
October is domestic violence awareness month - the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers resources and support to those facing these types of situations.
"I know it's difficult when you are looking from the outside. You think, 'I wouldn't let anyone do that to me. I would run. I'd get a knife.' But it's not like that. When you are in that situation where somebody is making a choice to hurt you and using various methods of control like emotional abuse or financial abuse then it begins to make sense," Denise Washington, director of the CCADV, said.
For more information about domestic violence, go to www.ccadv.org or call 303- 831-9632.
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