Pregnant woman tried writing help in blood after attack, feds say. Boyfriend sentenced

A man attacked his pregnant girlfriend in New Mexico, then she tried to seek help by writing with her blood, federal officials said.

Now the 30-year-old is going to prison.

From Feb. 11 to Feb. 14, 2023, Steven Williams, a member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, repeatedly assaulted his 5-month pregnant girlfriend, according to a July 24 news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

McClatchy News reached out to Williams’ lawyer for a statement on July 26 and was awaiting a response.

On Feb. 11, 2023, Williams was hallucinating and thought his girlfriend was cheating on him, according to the criminal complaint.

Over the next three days, Williams broke her hand, strangled her to the point of blacking out, put cigarettes out in her nose and mouth, and kicked her stomach while saying he was going to kill their unborn child, the documents said.

The two share a son, and Williams threatened to kill him while holding a knife to his girlfriend’s throat, according to the document.

On Feb. 13, 2023, police arrived at the home after Williams’ mother called to request a welfare check, but the pregnant woman was “too scared to ask for help,” the complaint said.

The woman’s family was set to arrive home the next day, and to alert them that something was wrong, the woman splattered her blood around the home and attempted to write “help” on her aunt’s closet, according to the complaint.

Williams discovered this and forced the woman to clean up the blood, authorities said.

Once the family got home, the woman told her grandmother what was happening and the two eventually called the police, according to the criminal complaint.

Williams was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, prosecutors said.

He pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in November, officials said.

This story was originally published July 26, 2024 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Pregnant woman tried writing help in blood after attack, feds say. Boyfriend sentenced."