Jon Koppenhaver, also known as War Machine, entered a “not guilty” plea in his initial court appearance for more than 30 charges, including an attempted murder charge stemming from the alleged attack of his ex-girlfriend, adult film star Christy Mack, and her friend Corey Thomas.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the laundry list of crimes includes “attempted murder, sexual assault, battery, coercion, preventing or dissuading a witness or victim from reporting a crime, and first-degree kidnapping resulting in substantial bodily harm.”
If found guilty, Koppenhaver could be facing life in prison without parole.
The assault on Mack is one of the most heinous out-of-the-cage incidents in the history of MMA. According to a police report, on August 8 Koppenhaver entered Mack’s home and found her asleep in bed with Thomas. Koppenhaver attacked Thomas, beating him and sending him out of the house.
From there, he turned his attention to Mack, and proceeded to punch, kick and choke her before cutting her hair off with a dull knife. When the knife broke, he left the room for the kitchen to get a sharper knife in order to “finish the job,” which allowed Mack to flee and find help. The attack left her with missing teeth, a broken rib, a ruptured liver and numerous cuts and bruises (you can read Mack’s account of the incident here). Koppenhaver went on the run and was caught 10 days later in California.
The embattled former UFC and Bellator fighter has been in trouble with the law for much of his adult life. In 2007, and then again in 2008, Koppenhaver was sentenced to probation stemming from violent charges. He was sentenced to a year in prison in 2010 for a felony assault charge stemming from a night-club fight and would go back to prison in 2012.
Koppenhaver is due back in prison on October 17. Keep an eye on Bleacher Report for more news on the case as it becomes available.
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