Detailed account of woman castrating guy during drunken fight

[SplitDik (imported)]

I remember this case, but don't recall seeing this graphic recounting of the events.

http://www.dunndailyrecord.com/main.asp ... leID=92590

Nightmare After Christmas

Castration victim describes gruesome events

Steve Reed

Reporter

Editor's note: Some of the testimony in this article is particularly graphic.

The man who police say was castrated by a Lillington woman with her bare hand took the stand yesterday, graphically describing a Christmas celebration turned bloody.

The state has now rested its malicious castration case against Rebecca Arnold Dawson.

When court resumes today in Lillington, it will be up to Ms. Dawson's defense to present their side of the story in a case which has garnered national attention.

Yesterday belonged to the alleged victim, 39-year-old Kevin Russ, and his girlfriend, Nikki Costella.

Mr. Russ described an evening which began as a Christmas celebration in their Lillington home with a few close friends and their children, the youngest of whom was 3 years old.

After presents were opened, the six children at the party retired to one of the bedrooms to play video games. The adults went to the kitchen and continued their celebration.

The evening was going as planned with the exception of two guests who weren't originally invited: Ms. Dawson and her 15-year-old daughter.

"Ms. Dawson had been drinking quite heavily and was quite intoxicated when she arrived with her daughter," Mr. Russ said. "I knew she had been separated from her husband and coming to the house appeared to be good for her."

Ms. Dawson's daughter put her presents under the tree. Mr. Russ and Ms. Costella testified Ms. Arnold also brought a 24-pack of light beer and tequila.

"We were drinking, relaxing and telling stories," Mr. Russ said. "The women were discussing woman things and my friend, who's in the special forces, and I were talking about his new job."

After three hours of sitting around the kitchen, Ms. Costella wasn't feeling well and was escorted by Mr. Russ to their bedroom.

"I told everyone Nikki wasn't feeling well and I was going to lie down with her," Mr. Russ said. "Our friends planned to hang out for a while and lock up when they left."

Concerned About Becky

When their friends got ready to depart, they expressed concern about Ms. Dawson's ability to drive home, Mr. Russ said, as she was extremely intoxicated. Mr. Russ agreed she could spend the night.

"The purpose was to protect her, her daughter and anyone else who might happened to be on the road," Mr. Russ said. "Ms. Dawson became mildly argumentative and picked up her cell phone. At first, she seemed to accept the idea of spending the night."

But then she got angry during her phone conversation, uttered a profanity and threw down the phone, Mr. Russ said.

Mr. Russ said he then heard an argument in their bedroom and when he got there, Ms. Costella was on her knees on top of the bed and Ms. Dawson was standing over her.

"Ms. Dawson was saying she wanted to leave and didn't want to be stopped," Mr. Russ said. "She just wanted to get her sweater and leave.

"She (Ms. Dawson) said lots of things which didn't make sense," Mr. Russ said.

He said things became more heated, Ms. Dawson took a step toward Ms. Costella and tried to hit her, and he put himself between them in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

He followed Ms. Dawson down the hall where she opened one of the children's bedroom doors to get her sweater.

"She opened the door yelling and using profanity," Mr. Russ said. "I stepped up to Becky and said, 'Don't do this, Becky, there's been enough fighting. It's Christmas.'"

Ms. Dawson then took her right fist and punched Mr. Russ in his right eye.

"She got a pretty good hit," Mr. Russ said. "I was shocked but it wasn't enough of a reaction for her and she swung a second time. I stepped back and took a glancing blow."

At that point, Mr. Russ said he put Ms. Dawson in an arm hold and forced her down the hallway to the kitchen. He said Ms. Dawson got free, went down the hall and began yelling at Ms. Costella again.

Mr. Russ said he stepped between them, with his back toward Ms. Dawson.

"She was reaching over me and was striking and clawing my face from behind," Mr. Russ said. "I was injured from the center of my face to my ears."

He said he pushed her back a couple of feet to gain control of the situation.

Then It Happened

"She had stumbled and was on one knee behind me," Mr. Russ said. "Then she reached underneath my robe, grabbed the skin underneath my penis and ripped the scrotum to my anus."

The pain was excruciating, Mr. Russ said. He didn't initially realize the extent of his injuries.

"I was afraid of what might happen to Nikki and myself if I collapsed," he said. "I felt something hot running down my legs and something was splashing around my feet. My feet were covered with a substantial amount of blood."

Mr. Russ said he then decided to find out how badly he was hurt.

"I pulled up my robe and discovered my scrotum ripped open and my testicles were exposed and dangling," Mr. Russ said. "I was in shock. I couldn't believe what happened."

Mr. Russ said Ms. Dawson noticed what she had done and went after him again.

"I made an open fist, punched her in the mouth with everything I had," Mr. Russ said. "She was stunned, calm for a few seconds and then became verbally abusive again. I told Nikki she needed to call a medic, call for an ambulance."

When Ms. Costella saw Mr. Russ' injury, she became ill and threw up on the bedroom floor, he said.

"Becky then left the bedroom," Mr. Russ said. "I was on the corner of the bed with my exposed testicles in my hands, trying to protect them."

He said he was wobbly and still losing blood but fought to remain conscious, afraid of what Ms. Dawson might do to him, his girlfriend and her children.

He made his way to the kitchen and sat in a wooden chair, nursing his injuries. He said there was a piece of his flesh on the bedroom floor and another piece of the kitchen table where Ms. Dawson had discarded it.

Police Arrive

Lillington Police Officer Ronnie Bass was the first officer to arrive on the scene.

"'Who did this to you?"' Mr. Russ said Officer Bass asked. "It was Becky," Mr. Russ replied.

When the emergency medical technicians arrived, Mr. Russ said they applied direct pressure to his injury, strapped him to a gurney and prepared to take him to Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital.

While Mr. Russ was on the gurney, Ms. Dawson's father entered through the kitchen door and tried to attack him, he said. Officer Bass intercepted the man and threw him out. Then Ms. Dawson's mother tried to enter but was restrained at the door. They picked up their granddaughter and took her home.

Mr. Russ said the EMTs took him to a trauma room, cleaned his injury and used 57 stitches to sew it up.

After Mr. Russ' testimony, Assistant District Attorney Charles Bullock produced 16 crime scene photos. Sitting expressionless, the jurors examined each one.

Under cross examination, defense attorney Jason Wunsch grilled Mr. Russ about his military experience and special training in diffusing violent situations.

He then asked if Mr. Russ approached Ms. Dawson about having a sexual threesome with him and his girlfriend, as Ms. Dawson had claimed.

"Absolutely not," Mr. Russ replied.

"You told her how hospitable you had been and that it was time for her to be hospitable to you," Mr. Wunsch said.

"I never said any such thing," Mr. Russ replied.

"Isn't it true you were removed from the special forces because you could not tell the truth?" Mr. Wunsch asked.

"That's an outrageous and egregious outright lie," Mr. Russ replied angrily.

Other Testimony

Lillington Police Officer Diana Bruning, who accompanied Officer Bass to the scene that night, next took the stand. She supported Officer Bass' testimony about how Ms. Dawson resisted arrest, spit blood in Officer Bass' face and kicked out the windshield of the patrol car.

Ms. Costella then took the stand. She supported Mr. Russ' account of how the evening began but acknowledged her recollection of what happened after she went to bed was hazy due to intoxication.

At one point, Ms. Costella said she yelled for someone to call an ambulance and Ms. Dawson's daughter yelled, "Mom, what did you do?"

The day ended with testimony from a former bartender and Lillington police officer about an incident involving Ms. Dawson in February 2006 at the former Iguanas bar in Lillington.

Jessica Garland told jurors Ms. Dawson was a regular patron at the business and that one night punched one of a group of five men in the bar in the face, accusing him of groping her private parts. Ms. Garland asked the men to leave.

When Ms. Dawson told her (now estranged) husband what happened, he went out a side door after them and a fight began in front of the bar, Ms. Garland said.

When Ms. Dawson tried to join the fray, Ms. Garland said she told her twice to stay inside. The second time, Ms. Garland said she told Ms. Dawson, "Act like someone who has children and not like someone who fights in the street."

At that point, Ms. Garland said Ms. Dawson grabbed her between the legs, pushed her against the wall and lifted her on her tiptoes.

"When her hand landed in my private region, it was very rough," Ms. Garland said. "She was squeezing and it felt like it would if I were punched there."

Ms. Garland said she punched Ms. Dawson in the face to get her off and the remaining bar patrons separated them. Ms. Garland said she then went out the back door to the Lillington Police Department and reported the fight.

Ms. Garland refused to press charges against Ms. Dawson, who was charged with three misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault on an officer, resisting arrest and being intoxicated and disruptive. Under a plea agreement, the state dropped the assault and resisting arrest charges in exchange for a guilty plea to being intoxicated and disruptive.

The state rested its case. Mr. Wunsch made a motion that all charges against Ms. Dawson be dismissed. Superior Court Judge Steve Balog rejected it.

Judge Balog concluded the day by talking to Ms. Dawson about the pros and cons of her testifying in court.

"You understand you have the right to testify if you want or not to testify if you choose not to," Judge Balog said. "Nobody makes the decision about whether or not you testify but you."

Ms. Dawson said she understood.

"Whatever decision you make, if the verdict doesn't go the way you want, you can't say you weren't advised about whether or not you should have testified," Judge Balog said.

[amahl_shukup (imported)]

Would it be wrong to assume that about half the people on this board will be trying to contact Ms. Becky of this story in the coming days? Heh heh... She seems to have the technique down, and this entire story is very close to some of the stories in the archives...particularly those of Thecia.