Quincy man sentenced for strangling girlfriend

QUINCY — A Quincy man will be spending six months in jail for strangling his girlfriend during an attack in July.

Pablo Zapien, 22, of Quincy, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to second-degree assault with a domestic violence enhancement. Following a joint recommendation between Deputy Prosecutor Kevin McCrae and defense attorney Michael Morgan, Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz sentenced Zapien to six months in jail. A charge of harassment-domestic violence was dropped in a plea agreement between McCrae and Morgan.

In early July the Quincy Police Department responded to a report of a physical domestic violence incident in progress at an apartment in the 200 block of D Street Southeast. Police responded to the scene and contacted the female victim, whom the officer reported had bruises on her neck, blood on her face and clothes and swelling to her face.

The victim said she fell asleep and was awoken by Zapien, her boyfriend, when he started strangling her. The victim says she passed out three times during the struggle and Zapien started hitting her with a closed fist while holding a knife, kicking her in the back and threatening to kill her. Court records do not indicate what prompted the assault against the victim.

The woman was able to temporarily free herself from Zapien’s grasp after striking him in the groin area. She said she felt the threats against her life were legitimate and Zapien would deliver on them. She was able to make it out of the front door of her apartment after striking Zapien and knocked on her neighbor’s door as she was screaming for help. Zapien grabbed the woman by the leg and tried to drag her back into the apartment.

A neighbor heard the struggle and yelled toward Zapien and the victim. Zapien let go of the victim, grab his belongings and ran away. As he was grabbing his items Zapien reportedly stole the victim’s $900 cellphone.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.