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SALT LAKE CITY — An ugly case of domestic violence has resulted in a West Valley man being charged.
David Velasquez, 25, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated assault, and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, all third-degree felonies. He was also charged with making a threat of violence, a class B misdemeanor.
On April 23, Velasquez became angry at his wife while driving and punched her in the face several times, according to charging documents. He then "grabbed her throat and strangled her for approximately 30 seconds and she almost lost consciousness," the charges state.
To escape, the woman jumped out of the moving car. Velasquez stopped the car, made the woman get back in, and then drove home where he "continued to punch and kick" her, according to the charges.
"The defendant stomped on (her) back and face and beat her with a broom stick," the charges state. (Velasquez) grabbed a kitchen knife and held it to her stomach."
After feeling the knife "poke" her stomach, the woman said Velasquez held the knife to her neck. While holding the knife to her neck, Velasquez "ordered her to go upstairs and told her she was going to 'die tonight,'" the charges state.
The woman told police that if her sister-in-law and her boyfriend hadn't shown up at the house, Velasquez "would have killed her," according to the charges.
The woman filed for a protective order against Velasquez on Wednesday, court records state.
According to court records, Velasquez has been arrested and charged in the past for other domestic violence-related incidents involving the same woman, and served jail time in 2015 for a conviction of assault.
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org.
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
