A 22-year-old Arkansas man is accused of striking, biting and choking his fiancee in an attempt to kill her while on methamphetamine, according to a police report.
When Jonesboro officers arrived at Heritage Hills Mobile Park on Bridger Road on Thursday night, they found blood in the living room and kitchen. A naked and unresponsive woman was reportedly discovered on the couch.
The 23-year-old victim was taken to NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries, then airlifted to a medical center in Little Rock, police said.
The report stated that there were marks on her neck and bruises up her body. Her eyes were reportedly swollen, and she had a bloody nose and mouth. She had a fracture in the back of her head and a subdural hematoma, which hospital workers said was the result of blunt force trauma. Police noted that it looked like she had been strangled.
The woman’s fiance, John Paul Cundiff, told officers that she did it to herself. He said she had become “wild” while they were doing meth earlier that day, then began “hitting herself in the eyes and tripping and throwing herself to the ground.”
He said he got up on top of her to stop her from hurting herself, then wrestled with her on the ground. He explained that she got the cuts on her legs when she rolled over a whiskey bottle.
The hospital informed police that injuries like a bite mark near the victim’s left breast indicated she had been attacked.
Later, police said, Cundiff admitted that he had attacked the 23-year-old.
During an interview, he told an officer that when he and his fiancee did meth, he “just went red” and started beating her, according to an affidavit.
Cundiff said he punched his fiancee several times, then slammed her head on the floor twice. The officer conducting the interview noted that Cundiff said he meant to kill her multiple times.
Cundiff is charged with criminal attempt and possession of drug paraphernalia.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 29.
