A Long Island man has been indicted on assault and related charges for allegedly punching, strangling and stabbing his girlfriend in front of her 15-year-old child, who has developmental disabilities, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Coram man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim, brutally attacked his girlfriend for hours at a hotel in Holtsville early last month, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
The man is accused of repeatedly punching the victim in the head and body, stabbing her in the arm with a pen, and strangling her with such force that she allegedly fractured her hyoid bone and sustained a laceration to her liver.
The hyoid bone is a small, horseshoe-shaped bone located in the midline of the neck that anchors muscles involved in swallowing, speech and tongue movement. According to medical examiners, the force required to fracture it can be fatal.
The alleged beating erupted during an argument late on May 3 and lasted roughly four hours. It only ended in the early morning of May 4 after guests in nearby hotel rooms heard the commotion and called police.
When responding officers arrived at the scene, they arrested the suspect and took the victim to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. She had “severe bruising and swelling all over her face,” police said.
The defendant was arraigned on Wednesday on multiple counts, including strangulation, assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Bail was set at $100,000 cash, $200,000 insurance bond or $2 million partially secured bond. He’s due back in court on July 2.
