Charges: Man Threw Girlfriend Off Balcony In Rage
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – A 57-year-old man is accused of throwing his girlfriend off a second story balcony while the two were arguing while they were naked on Sunday at his St. Paul residence, according to charges filed Tuesday in Ramsey County Court.
Anthony Maynard Nelson was charged with first-degree assault and third-degree assault in connection with the incident.
According to a criminal complaint, St. Paul Police were called to the 600 block of Snelling Avenue North on Sunday on a report of a woman who had been thrown off a second story balcony. When authorities arrived, the victim's boyfriend, identified as Nelson, said she fell off the balcony and also said "Take her away. I don't ever want to see her again."
Nelson denied to police that he did anything wrong in the incident. He told police he and his girlfriend were arguing because he thought she was cheating on him instead of going to work. Nelson allegedly punched the victim in the eye while they were in the living room. The victim also fell onto a glass table, causing it to break. Nelson allegedly stomped on her right rib, and when she got up she went to the balcony to scream for help, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, Nelson tried to pull her back in and the two struggled. He then allegedly pushed her, causing her to fall of the balcony and land on her back and head.
Witnesses said the two have a history of fighting and the railing on the balcony had previously been broken during an argument, the complaint states. Nelson told police the victim drinks a lot and is crazy, and she freaked out on him, according to the complaint.
The victim, who Nelson described to police as the "idiot that fell," was taken to Regions Hospital with multiple broken ribs and a broken vertebra. She could not move her lower extremities and had an 8-hour surgery to remove shattered vertebra.
Nelson denies any wrongdoing in the incident. If convicted on each charge, he faces up to 25 years in prison and $40,000 in fines.
