[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Former 90 Day Fiancé star Geoffrey Paschel has been convicted of kidnapping and assaulting one of his exes.
On Thursday, a Knox County jury found the 44-year-old reality star, who was on season 4 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days with current partner Varya Malina, guilty of aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, vandalism, and interference with emergency calls. Prosecutors shared during the trial that police responded to a domestic disturbance call on June 9, 2019, at Paschel’s home in Knoxville, Tennessee. When they arrived, his ex-fiancée Kristen Wilson Chapman told officers that the television personality had assaulted her in the house. Per E! News, the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office detailed the brutal attack in a statement, saying:
“Paschel grabbed the victim by the neck and slammed her head against the wall several times. She was also thrown to the ground and dragged. Paschel took the victim’s cell phone and did not allow her to leave the residence. The victim fled to a neighbor’s house after Paschel fell asleep.”
At the time, officers noticed she had a large bruise on her forehead, several other bruises on her body, and multiple cuts on her back, arms, and the inside of her lip. She was also diagnosed with a concussion.
Related: The Amazing True Story Of How Detectives Cracked A Rape Case 26 Years Later
During the trial, Kristen testified that the couple was having dinner and drinks at a restaurant before coming home to walk her dog. According to E! News, she then messaged a friend who they were meeting up with soon while outside. And when she came back inside the home, things took an ugly turn:
“The next thing I remember, he was beating me. He had me by the back of my head and was hitting my face into the floor, and I was screaming for him to stop. From there, he dragged me up the stairs … he was dragging me by my head and by my hair.”
Kristen eventually “blacked out,” adding:
“The next thing I remember, I was in the corner of my kitchen and he was shoving me up against the wall and then he got me back down on the floor in the kitchen. He was hitting my head on the floor in the kitchen and I lost consciousness again. When I regained consciousness … I was sitting on the couch [in the living room] and my face was dripping blood down my chin and onto my couch and he was pacing, not saying anything, but just pacing behind the other end of my sectional, which had been overturned.”
After Paschel forced her to go to bed, Kristen pretended she was sleeping while he searched through her phone, apologized, and tried touching her. That is when she immediately “jumped” and “ran straight out the front door” to a neighbor’s home and called 911. Meanwhile, Paschel reportedly claimed that her injuries were self-inflicted and said that on the night of the incident, things were “a little off” between them:
“In any relationship, you have your ups and you have your downs.”
Related: US Special Forces Soldier Accused Of Murdering His Pregnant Wife & Injuring Unborn Child
According to E! News, he stated that the duo stayed at the restaurant for five hours before returning home “drunk.” Paschel then insisted he “ended up walking her dog” and called his son to check on his pets while outside. And when he came back inside, he said Kristen “aggressively” confronted him about “talking to another female out there,” and they proceeded to get into an argument. At one point, Paschel claimed she “ran smack into the door” trying to exit the residence, and returned with “blood coming out of her nose.” He also said she “ran into the wall” and “bounced around the wall” later that night. She then decided to call the police after they went to bed:
“I just chalked it up that she was drunk and was going to walk it off and walk back. And roughly 30 minutes later, the police showed up.”
However, the jury “discredited” his statements and found him guilty of all charges. Paschel now faces between 12 and 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole due to his criminal history, which includes drug possession with intent to sell and federal drug trafficking.
We’ll have to wait and see what the court decides to give him during his sentencing hearing on December 3.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a domestic violence situation, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
[Image via Knox County Sheriff”s Department]
Related Posts
