Cops: Woman Played Dead to Avoid Boyfriend's Rage

Bartholomew Palumbo arrested in 'extreme case' of domestic violence
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 24, 2015 1:45 PM CDT
Cops: Woman Played Dead to Avoid Boyfriend's Rage
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A Pennsylvania woman played dead to avoid being killed by her boyfriend after he threw her down a flight of stairs and shoved a rag down her throat, police said. The woman faked a seizure and collapsed to escape further beating. "This is a case of domestic violence," Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio told Lehigh Valley Live. "It's an extreme case." The woman is hospitalized in serious condition. Bartholomew Palumbo, 25, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and making terroristic threats. He is jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.

According to police, Palumbo was upset over a text message his girlfriend received from a male friend on Friday night. He grabbed her throat, slammed her to the floor, and repeatedly punched her in the face before throwing her down the basement stairs, police said. "See what you made me do? Now I'm going to have to kill (you)," he allegedly told the woman. The woman crawled up the stairs Saturday morning, startling Palumbo, who called an ambulance. "Oh my god, you're alive," he said, according to the criminal complaint. (More domestic violence stories.)

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