COLORADO – A woman who tried to save her kitten while her boyfriend was strangling it late Monday night ended up being brutally assaulted and strangled, authorities said.
Tyler Milo Porter, who is currently 19, who lives in a trailer at the Riverview Trailer Park, was arrested on charges of second-degree assault, domestic violence and also cruelty to animals, according to Mesa County Jail documents. Both the woman and cat did survive the incident.
A Grand Junction police officer was doing a welfare check at 10:20 p.m. on Monika Lazcano, who is 17, at trailer number 13 at 1550 Highway 50 when she heard loud banging noises from inside the home as furniture was broken, according to the arrest affidavit.
“Leave me alone! Please stop!” a woman was heard screaming.
And so, the officer knocked on the front door. She heard another loud bang and then Porter, who appeared to be quite angry, answered the door. The officer could see that Lazcano was crying hysterically just in the hallway. A coffee table, decorations, a plant and other items were either broken or knocked over.
While another officer spoke with Porter outside, Lazcano went on to explain what happened, the report says.
The girl explained that Porter had became enraged when her kitten bit him on his arm and began strangling the cat. When she tried to save her kitten from being murdered, he began to assault her. She could see how angry he was so she left the living room and went into the bedroom.
After he stopped strangling the kitten, he went into the bedroom, grabbed his girlfriend by the hair and swung her around, the report states. She fell on her back. He grabbed her by the neck with his left hand, picked her up off the floor and then pinned her against the wall, the report says. She began to drool and became dizzy, the report says.
When he let go of her neck, Lazcano coughed and also vomited while she was trying to catch her breath. She repeatedly tried to get away from the assailant and when she did, Porter allegedly grabbed her by her hair and yanked or pulled her around the room. At one point she landed on the floor and he proceeded o stomp on her head three times.
A bruise on her forehead and a black eye were actually from a prior assault, Lazcano explained to the officer.
