Man Sentenced For Severely Beating Wife In Front Of Children

GOLDEN, CO — A man who severely beat his wife was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison, the First Judicial District Attorney's Office said. A Jefferson County jury found Manuel Joseph Casias, 44 guilty after a trial in November 2019.

On April 6, 2019, Lakewood police were called to a home at 12135 W. Nevada Drive on a report of a domestic violence disturbance. Neighbors said they heard loud banging and children screaming, the DA's office said. Officers found a 29-year-old woman covered in blood and barely conscious, authorities said.

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Casias and his wife were getting a divorce, and he didn't live with her. After he assaulted her April 5 in the same apartment, he wasn't allowed inside, but he had a key because his mother helped with child care, the DA's office said.

The 29-year-old mother awoke to Casias banging at her door and cursing, and he broke through the front door as she and their children, ages 5 and 8, hid in the bedroom, prosecutors said.

"He attacked her and as she tried to escape he slapped, punched, and kicked her. He slammed her head against furniture and into a reptile habitat causing a severe head injury," the DA's office said. "He then strangled her until she saw stars and began to lose consciousness. The children watched the assault, begging him to stop."

Casias left the apartment before police arrived, but was arrested a short time later when he tried to sneak back in, blending in with first responders, prosecutors said.

Casias was found guilty of first-degree assault, child abuse, first-degree burglary, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree criminal trespass and other charges.