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SOUTH SALT LAKE — A man was arrested for investigation of attempted homicide against his girlfriend Thursday, the same day he was charged in another domestic violence case.
Joseph Jesus Nunez, 65, was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary and damaging a communication device.
Police say Nunez forced his way into his girlfriend's hotel room, 315 W. 3300 South, and then ripped the phone cord when she tried to call 911 on Thursday, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.
Nunez then used the phone cord to choke the woman while holding her head down in a blanket on the bed and punching the back of her head, the report stated.
"Joe was telling her he was not going to let her leave and he was going to kill her. Joe held an open knife blade to the victim's throat and told her he was going to kill her," according to the report.
South Salt Lake police officers, apparently notified of a problem, went to the hotel room and arrested Nunez.
The arrest came on the same day Nunez was charged in 3rd District Court with assault, a class A misdemeanor, in another domestic violence incident.
In that case, Nunez severely beat his cohabitant girlfriend by punching her in the arms and face, pulling her out of car by her hair, and then kicking her while she was on the ground, according to court records. She was treated at Pioneer Valley Hospital.
The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition encourages victims of domestic violence, or anyone who knows someone who may be experiencing domestic violence, to get call the statewide domestic violence LINKLine at 800-897-LINK (5465).
