The Tragic Love Story Of Christy Mack and MMA Fighter War Machine
Mack and Thomas were woken when Koppenhaver allegedly walked into the bedroom, turned on the light and began striking Thomas with his fists. In his testimony, Thomas said he'd been punched repeatedly and bit in the face by Koppenhaver before being placed in a chokehold. After about 10 minutes, Mack testified, Koppenhaver told him to leave the house and to not report the incident to the police. Thomas left the house, and he did not call the police.
Koppenhaver then began hitting Mack, according to the prosecution. He punched her multiple times, causing her to lose consciousness at least once, and kicked her in the side of her body.
As she laid on her bathroom floor, Mack says that Koppenhaver allegedly told her, "That is my p----y, and I'm going to take it back now." At some point, Mack says, Koppenhaver grabbed a knife and threatened her with it. She says she ended up naked and in the shower, though she's not sure whether he undressed her or ordered her to take her clothes off. She told police that Koppenhaver tried to rape her, and prosecutors have charged him with sexual assault. In her testimony, Mack escaped the house only when Koppenhaver left the bedroom and entered the kitchen. She heard the clanging of metal and believes he went looking for another knife.
Mack says she ran, naked, to a neighbor's house, climbed the fence and begged to let her in. The neighbors didn't open the door, but they let her hide behind a wall outside as they called the police.
The beating left her unable to walk for a week because of the injuries to her thigh. Her liver had been ruptured from punches and kicks to her body -- the liver injury was so bad that doctors opted to not operate on her face because they worried she couldn't handle being put under anesthesia. She had 18 broken bones, a broken nose, multiple missing and broken teeth, and a fractured rib.
But perhaps nothing hurt like her recollection of what Koppenhaver did to her identity. At some point that night, Mack says he took the dull blade of the knife he was holding and meticulously began sawing her hair.
When he was done, Mack's trademark mohawk laid on the floor in a pile.
...
Many of the women who contact her tell similar stories of a pattern of abuse. At a pretrial hearing in November, Mack testified to many of those details in a courtroom across from Koppenhaver. She said she had endured a history of sexual violence from Koppenhaver, the telling of which elicited laughs and smiles from the defendant. Prosecutors asked the judge to note in the court record that Koppenhaver had been laughing, to which his attorneys objected.
"I watched him laugh," the judge said. "It's noted."
...
On Oct. 14, Koppenhaver was found unresponsive in his Las Vegas prison cell with a makeshift cloth noose around his neck. A lengthy note in Koppenhaver's handwriting read, "They wanna charge me with battery and (domestic violence)? Fine, do it, but don't railroad me with B.S. fantasy charges like Rape! Attempted murder! Kidnapping! And Burglary! It's making it impossible for justice. I'm a good person with a huge heart, and everyone who knows me knows that, especially Christy."
Koppenhaver's vital signs quickly returned to normal, and he was placed in solitary confinement on suicide watch. He has written often from prison via his Twitter handle, always maintaining his innocence. (Sua would not confirm Koppenhaver himself is behind the tweets. "I can't comment on that at this time," Sua says.)
He has found Jesus, the tweets say, and wonders whether this new understanding could have made a difference earlier. He and supporters -- including his attorney -- tweet using the hashtag "FreeWarMachine." Sua says there is a writ of habeas corpus hearing set for April 22, in which Koppenhaver's defense will make the case to release him. "There's a lot that we want you to know, that we want the public to know and that will come out at the appropriate time," Sua says.
Mack will be watching closely. War Machine's trial is tentatively set for September.
"It hurt so much to know he was so separated from the situation. He still hasn't taken responsibility to this day," Mack says. "He blames his childhood, he blames me, he blames fighting. He claims he found God now -- he's looking for any kind of way not to take responsibility for what happened."
Mack and Thomas were woken when Koppenhaver allegedly walked into the bedroom, turned on the light and began striking Thomas with his fists. In his testimony, Thomas said he'd been punched repeatedly and bit in the face by Koppenhaver before being placed in a chokehold. After about 10 minutes, Mack testified, Koppenhaver told him to leave the house and to not report the incident to the police. Thomas left the house, and he did not call the police.
Koppenhaver then began hitting Mack, according to the prosecution. He punched her multiple times, causing her to lose consciousness at least once, and kicked her in the side of her body.
As she laid on her bathroom floor, Mack says that Koppenhaver allegedly told her, "That is my p----y, and I'm going to take it back now." At some point, Mack says, Koppenhaver grabbed a knife and threatened her with it. She says she ended up naked and in the shower, though she's not sure whether he undressed her or ordered her to take her clothes off. She told police that Koppenhaver tried to rape her, and prosecutors have charged him with sexual assault. In her testimony, Mack escaped the house only when Koppenhaver left the bedroom and entered the kitchen. She heard the clanging of metal and believes he went looking for another knife.
Mack says she ran, naked, to a neighbor's house, climbed the fence and begged to let her in. The neighbors didn't open the door, but they let her hide behind a wall outside as they called the police.
The beating left her unable to walk for a week because of the injuries to her thigh. Her liver had been ruptured from punches and kicks to her body -- the liver injury was so bad that doctors opted to not operate on her face because they worried she couldn't handle being put under anesthesia. She had 18 broken bones, a broken nose, multiple missing and broken teeth, and a fractured rib.
But perhaps nothing hurt like her recollection of what Koppenhaver did to her identity. At some point that night, Mack says he took the dull blade of the knife he was holding and meticulously began sawing her hair.
When he was done, Mack's trademark mohawk laid on the floor in a pile.
...
Many of the women who contact her tell similar stories of a pattern of abuse. At a pretrial hearing in November, Mack testified to many of those details in a courtroom across from Koppenhaver. She said she had endured a history of sexual violence from Koppenhaver, the telling of which elicited laughs and smiles from the defendant. Prosecutors asked the judge to note in the court record that Koppenhaver had been laughing, to which his attorneys objected.
"I watched him laugh," the judge said. "It's noted."
...
On Oct. 14, Koppenhaver was found unresponsive in his Las Vegas prison cell with a makeshift cloth noose around his neck. A lengthy note in Koppenhaver's handwriting read, "They wanna charge me with battery and (domestic violence)? Fine, do it, but don't railroad me with B.S. fantasy charges like Rape! Attempted murder! Kidnapping! And Burglary! It's making it impossible for justice. I'm a good person with a huge heart, and everyone who knows me knows that, especially Christy."
Koppenhaver's vital signs quickly returned to normal, and he was placed in solitary confinement on suicide watch. He has written often from prison via his Twitter handle, always maintaining his innocence. (Sua would not confirm Koppenhaver himself is behind the tweets. "I can't comment on that at this time," Sua says.)
He has found Jesus, the tweets say, and wonders whether this new understanding could have made a difference earlier. He and supporters -- including his attorney -- tweet using the hashtag "FreeWarMachine." Sua says there is a writ of habeas corpus hearing set for April 22, in which Koppenhaver's defense will make the case to release him. "There's a lot that we want you to know, that we want the public to know and that will come out at the appropriate time," Sua says.
Mack will be watching closely. War Machine's trial is tentatively set for September.
"It hurt so much to know he was so separated from the situation. He still hasn't taken responsibility to this day," Mack says. "He blames his childhood, he blames me, he blames fighting. He claims he found God now -- he's looking for any kind of way not to take responsibility for what happened."
