Concord Man Arrested for Attempted Murder After Violent Pitman Street Attack

CONCORD, NH — A local man was arrested and held after he allegedly assaulted and attempted to murder a woman in a neighboring apartment at the Crutchfield Building on Pitman Street, according to reports. Steven M. Rossi, 36, of Pitman Street in Concord, was arrested at 10:50 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2016, for criminal restraint, resisting arrest or detention, simple assault, second-degree assault, criminal threatening, and attempted second-degree murder.

Editor’s Note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and Concord District Court. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

At just before 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, officers were sent to the apartment building on Pitman Street for a report of loud banging and yelling coming from the second floor of the building. When they arrived, they allegedly heard a woman screaming for help and a man yelling at the woman, according to a court affidavit.

The officers ran to the apartment door, announced themselves, and ordered the apartment door opened. A male subject – later identified as Rossi – allegedly yelled back, “F--- you, I’m not opening it … she’s getting what she deserves,” while the officers allegedly heard the woman screaming.

The door reportedly remained locked so they attempted to use forced entry to gain access to the apartment, kicking the door several times, but they were not successful. A woman inside was reportedly pleading with Rossi to open the door but he allegedly “continued to yell and scream” at the woman. Two other officers arrived and the four of them together kicked the door open.

Rossi allegedly was grabbing onto the woman’s hair, standing over her, while she sat with her head between her legs, according to the affidavit.

The officers reportedly grabbed Rossi and attempted to pull him out of the apartment but he allegedly “began thrashing from side to side and continued to scream.” The reporting officer allegedly warned him to stop or he would be pepper sprayed and he allegedly continued to resist, thrash, and refused to put his hands behind his back.

“At this point, I sprayed my glove with OC spray and swiped the spray onto Steven’s face,” the officer alleged. “Steven yelled and after a brief struggle, gave up tensing his body and stopped resisting.”

Another officer spoke to the victim who stated that Rossi was a neighbor and a friend. He stopped by and was reportedly dancing to some music in her apartment while she was doing laundry. At one point, she had her back to him, and she turned around and he allegedly punched her in the face “real hard,” knocking out several artificial teeth.

“Steven continued to punch (the victim) in her mouth, cheeks, and the front and back of her head,” the report alleged. “Steven then used his legs, while standing over (the victim), to grapple around (the victim’s) neck in order to immobilize her.”

While pinning her down, Rossi allegedly punched, kicked, and slammed her head into the floor, the report alleged, while “ripping chunks” of hair out of her head. Rossi also allegedly slashed the woman’s forehead with a pair of scissors and threatened to “stab her to death,” the affidavit alleged.

The victim attempted to hold the scissors with all her strength in an effort to stop him, she stated. She alleged that Rossi started yelling that she killed his family, that his name was “Rebecca Rossi,” and that he believed she was going to kill her, according to the affidavit. She estimated the struggle last about 30 minutes.

Rossi was arrested and held on $45,000 cash bail. He was arraigned in court on Jan. 3.

Rossi, according to a report on Concord NH Patch, was previously arrested in February 2014 on two counts of possession of controlled drugs, one a felony, disorderly conduct, and fugitive from justice warrant, a felony, after police were sent to an apartment on Fisherville Road for a man allegedly screaming obscenities and attempting to kick in an apartment door. During a search, a glass pipe and container with marijuana were allegedly found in his pockets. A bag of methamphetamine was allegedly found in one of his socks, according to a report at the time. The fugitive charge was out of Denver District Court for probation violation on an assault accusation from Jan. 27, 2014.