Gwinnett Man Sentenced to 46 Years For Abusing Wife

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A Gwinnett County man faces up to 46 years in prison after a jury convicted him of abusing and kidnapping his wife.

A Superior Court jury on Thursday returned guilty verdicts against Richard Luedee on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, family violence battery, terroristic threats and attempting to influence a witness.

According to testimony and evidence, Luedee's abuse of his wife of 10 years culminated on October 26, 2014, when he became angry because she didn't deposit a check.

He struck her multiple times in the arms and legs, causing her to curl up from the pain. He then interrogated her at the family's kitchen table before getting up and striking her in the head, causing her to again collapse to the floor.

Eventually, she was able to run out on the couple's back porch and scream for help.

Fearing that police would come, Luedee then threatened his wife into leaving the house with him and going to a hotel. At the hotel, she was able to escape and call 911.

Luedee then ran away from the hotel, fleeing all the way to Colorado.

Before he was arrested, evidence showed that Luedee made a series of disturbing threats to mutilate his wife's face or commit a murder/suicide.

At the time, Luedee was already on probation for a previous charge of battery for striking his wife in 2013.

At trial, Luedee's attorney argued that the victim knew how to "push his buttons."

District Attorney Matt Acuff responded that Luedee had "more buttons than a Space Shuttle."

He then played a series of threatening voice recordings Luedee had left for his victim.

He told her to lie to the police and even made repeated attempts to get the district attorney's office to dismiss the charges.

The jury returned guilty verdicts on all charges against Luedee in about three hours.

Superior Court Judge Kathryn Schrader sentenced him to 46 years in prison.

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