Ex-Chiefs RB Larry Johnson Charged w/ Strangling Ex-Girlfriend
Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has been charged with felony domestic violence after allegedly strangling an ex-girlfriend in Las Vegas last week, reports TMZ.
Johnson faces a maximum five years in jail and a $15,000 fine.
The running back has a history of assaulting women. However, Johnson insists that he did not strangle his ex-girlfriend this time. And there may be video surveillance evidence to exonerate him.
Johnson told TMZ he knows that people will pass judgment on him based on his previous record, but says that he didn't strangle his ex.
The alleged victim claims to be Johnson's ex-girlfriend and says that the two went back to Johnson's hotel room at the Bellagio after partying. The woman claims that Johnson became enraged and beat her and threw her around the room, before strangling her, reports USA Today. The woman says she was choked into unconsciousness and was left in the hotel hallway in her underwear.
Johnson denies that the woman is an ex-girlfriend, and just calls her an "old acquaintance." He says that the woman wouldn't leave his hotel room, and when he tried to remove her she kicked and slapped him, writes USA Today.
Johnson says that after he got the woman outside the room, she tried to kick the door down. If this was caught on hotel security cameras, it would directly contradict the woman's claims that she was strangled unconscious by the former pro football player.
In the court of public opinion, Johnson may already be guilty of assaulting the woman due to his history. In 2003, he was charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor domestic battery, reports USA Today. In 2005, he was charged with assaulting a woman again. And he was arrested twice in 2008 for shoving a woman and allegedly spitting on a woman.
If the case goes to trial, It will interesting to see how much of Johnson's criminal history is considered by the court.
Related Resources:
- Larry Johnson arrested in Vegas (The Associated Press)
- Cowboys' Dez Bryant Arrested for Beating Own Mother (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Manny Ramirez Charged with Domestic Violence for Slapping His Wife (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)