CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of violently attacking his pregnant girlfriend for hours, "expressing his desire to kill her and the baby," and, when he was finished, pouring "salt, sugar and coffee grounds on her open wounds."
A judge sentenced Joseph English Gregory Newton, 31, to life in prison plus 10 years, the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office said.
A jury convicted him on counts including kidnapping with bodily injury, criminal attempt to commit murder, criminal attempt to commit feticide, family violence aggravated assault, family violence aggravated battery, four counts of family violence battery, family violence simple battery, false imprisonment, sexual battery, two counts of criminal trespass and tampering with evidence.
According to DA Shannon Wallace, Newton was first arrested in December 2020 after his girlfriend had tried to leave after an argument. Newton "chased her through the neighborhood, yanked her by the hair, tore off her clothes and dragged her across a yard and a driveway."
The incident left her with "swelling, scratches and bruising" the DA said.
He was arrested when a family member of the girlfriend called 911 the next day, though he was released on bond on the condition he not have contact with the girlfriend.
"He did not comply with the order, and they resumed their relationship," the DA's Office said. "Evidence at trial showed that their relationship continued to be tumultuous."
Last October, Newton attacked the girlfriend again.
The DA's Office said the woman, now pregnant, "decided to end their relationship for the sake of their unborn child."
"Newton was angry and responded by holding her against her will in their apartment, attacking her for hours, and expressing his desire to kill her and the baby," the DA's Office said.
The attack escalated, as Newton "punched his girlfriend, kicked her, spit on her, strangled her, dragged her by the hair, hit her with objects in their apartment, slammed her head against the floor, and stomped on her abdomen with his foot."
It was at that point, as she lay on the ground after being beaten, that Newton "poured salt, sugar, and coffee grounds on her open wounds."
Once he fell asleep, she was able to escape and call 911.
First responders found her with numerous injuries, including "signs of strangulation" and taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed with a "subchorionic hemhorrage of the placenta."
Fortunately, the baby survived. Newton was later arrested hiding in the attic of their apartment.
“After enduring a brutal assault, this resilient young woman escaped her abuser and called 911 while driving to a safe place. During that call, she described the events that occurred and, for the first time, pleaded for help,” DA Wallace said in a statement. “Even though Newton beat her for hours, she had the strength and courage to escape – ensuring that she and her baby would survive.”
In the first violent attack, in December 2020, the DA's Office said there were multiple witnesses - but none of them called the police until her family member did so the next day.
“Although domestic violence is most pervasive out of sight, in many cases, family, friends, and even complete strangers witness violence but choose to remain silent. They may feel it isn’t their place to intervene, or they may want to protect the privacy of the victim. The victim may even ask them to remain silent,” said prosecutor Rachel Ashe. “As a community, we all need to take a hard look at cases like this and understand that violence is never acceptable and that sometimes we need to step up to protect a victim, even when the victim is not ready or is unwilling to seek aid.”
