He’s charged with attempted murder, several other crimes
A Burlington man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly cutting his girlfriend with a knife in a drunken rage after he accused her of hiding his cigarettes.
Jesse A. Berryman, 37, was charged Tuesday in Racine County Circuit Court with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, strangulation and suffocation, stalking with use of a dangerous weapon, second-degree sexual assault, criminal damage to property and misdemeanor battery. All of the charges are filed with domestic abuse enhancers.
A court commissioner set cash bond at $15,000 during Berryman’s initial court appearance on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Dec. 10 in Racine County Circuit Court.
The charges, according to the criminal complaint, stem from a series of incidents involving the couple that occurred since June.
The latest incident resulting in the most serious charge allegedly occurred Nov. 24 at the couple’s residence on South Pine Street.
Police responding to a call of a woman being attacked by her boyfriend with a knife learned the victim fought off Berryman before running to her landlord’s apartment for help.
According to the complaint, the victim and Berryman got into an argument on Nov. 23 over text messages Berryman received from another woman. The victim went to sleep in another room to let things “cool off.”
The victim was awakened about 1 a.m. by Berryman – who was described as “obliterated drunk” – screaming about cigarettes, the complaint alleges. The victim begged Berryman to leave because she had to attend school in the morning, but he just angrier, according to the complaint.
Berryman allegedly told the victim he would get a “bitch knife” and cut her before going to the kitchen and grabbing a knife with a 6-inch serrated blade, the complaint states. Berryman allegedly charged back into the bedroom and said, “Don’t think I won’t stab you. Don’t think I won’t kill you” while he was on top of the victim.
The victim described holding back Berryman’s arm while the two struggled and was cut on the back of the arm and index finger, according to the complaint. She then punched Berryman in the face and used her knee to shove him off the bed, the complaint states.
Police documented several injuries to the victim, including a 4-inch-long cut on the back of her arm, a deep cut in the pattern of the serrated knife on her index finger and multiple bruises including several on her chest and right breast that the victim said were from Berryman biting her, according to the complaint.
Additional charges
While being interviewed by an investigator with the Burlington Police Department, the victim recounted an incident several days earlier that also resulted in charges against Berryman.
She told police Berryman pinned her down on a bed and choked her after she told Berryman his 12-year-old daughter needed medical attention because she was sick, according to the complaint. The victim told investigators she nearly lost consciousness as a result.
The complaint also details an incident from last June when during an argument Berryman got out of the victim’s car and smashed the windshield while she was inside.
A Racine County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the incident, but the victim insisted she did not want charges filed at the time, according to the complaint.
A longer version of this story as well as additional court reports can be found in the Dec. 3 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
-
-
-
-
-