A mum who told her husband she wanted to divorce him claims he subsequently dragged her from bed in the night and subjected her to a violent “interrogation”.
Horrifying photos of Emily Welsh after the experience show her hospitalised in a neck brace with severe bruising and a badly swollen eye, among other injuries.
The 30-year-old nurse from Camden, Ohio, USA, claims she was attacked by Brandon Welsh, a 31-year-old truck driver, in a four-hour rampage at a family member's home.
Emily said she woke to the truck driver looming over her bed in the middle of the night, furious after discovering she wanted to file for divorce.
The mum-of-two claims Welsh, who she had been with since high school, dragged her out of the house by her hair and subjected her to a four-hour interrogation in July 2019.
Welsh was found guilty of domestic violence in October 2020 at Preble County Court, Eaton, Ohio, but was found not guilty on a charge of kidnapping. A charge of assault was dismissed.
But Emily says she was left terrified as Welsh walked free from court - because he had already served 16 months while awaiting trial.
Welsh admitted slapping Emily twice in the swimming pool, but denied causing her injuries, instead speculating she may have caused them herself. He also denied throwing her in the pool and says he merely knocked her in by bumping against her hip.
Emily says she had separated from Welsh two months before the attack, after their two children witnessed the pair having a furious argument.
However, the couple agreed to celebrate the fourth of July together at a family member's house, where the terrifying ordeal unfolded - in which she claims she feared for her life.
She is now speaking out to warn anyone else who ends up in her situation to “not take the abuse” and to “move on and be happy” rather than staying with a partner who they are scared of.
Emily said: "Brandon came into the room in the middle of the night, switched the light on and hovered over me. He had just a towel on and he was soaking wet.
"He said I should wake up and tell him why I was treating him the way I was.
"I ignored him and tried to go back to sleep. He grabbed my hair and dragged me out of the bed.
"He dragged me from the bedroom to the dining room by my hair and onto the poolside. I was yelling for help but he had music playing.
"He was saying 'this is the night you bitch'. I was so scared. He said I was going to wish I was dead.
"He threw me in the pool and jumped in behind me. He had one arm around my neck and was dunking me under the water.
"I was fighting and trying to get up but he was naked so there was nothing to grab onto. I didn't stand a chance. It was like an interrogation."
Emily says after being repeatedly hit she made the decision to tell Welsh “what he wanted to hear” and reason with him. Four hours later, when he was “tired and worn down”, she convinced him to let her get out of the pool.
"I was throwing up water and he'd ripped all my clothes off. So we sat there and he asked questions and I answered."
Emily said: "I could barely hold my head up and my eye was swollen so I couldn't see out of my left side.
She says that eventually she persuaded Welsh to let her go to the hospital where she said she would tell staff she got into a fight. But instead, she reported the incident upon arrival.
“I told them that my husband had attacked me and that someone needed to go and check on my kids. Thank God that I'm here. I felt like I did what I had to do to survive,” she said.
However Welsh has since claimed the slaps that he admits he hit Emily with did not cause her injuries and speculated that she had done them to herself.
When contacted for comment, Welsh said: "I was convicted of misdemeanour domestic violence [in the first degree] and I was found innocent on two felony charges because I am innocent.
"I didn't cause the injuries you have pictures of. Two slaps doesn't do that, those injuries were self inflicted by Emily.”
He carried on to say the people that mattered in his life knew the truth, which was what mattered to him, and said it was a “shame” Emily wouldn’t “stop with the crap”.
Welsh was released immediately after the trial and Emily says she lived in fear that he'd come back to find her. She was scared to be home alone, she said, so had to stay with a family member for some time after his release.
The couple had met in high school back and started dating as they went to college in 2009. They married one year later.
Emily says she became scared of Welsh a few years into their relationship but she was determined to keep the family together for her children.
"It was a young relationship and there was mental abuse but I overlooked it. I would never have expected him to do it. He's the father of my children, I'd been with him for ten years,” she said.
"I was going to leave but I was young and didn't know any better so I'd go back.”
Emily said it was easier to hide when the kids were younger, but once they were old enough to understand, she knew it was time to go.
Emily is now seeing a therapist weekly and is speaking out to encourage other victims of domestic abuse to seek help. She says she is in a “great mindset” after working on dealing with her emotions and giving love to herself and her children.
"I just want to tell anyone in a similar situation to the one I was in to follow their gut. He made me feel like I was nothing and that I was crazy and no one would want me,” she said.
"No matter how scared you are, put yourself and your mental health first. The struggle is so worth it.”
"When you've done it and you're happy and your kids are happy it's worth it. Women are stronger than we think. Move on and be happy."
Welsh was found guilty of domestic violence and not guilty of kidnapping. The assault charge was dismissed.
In court, an emergency room physician testified that Emily suffered bruising skinned elbows, mild tenderness in her legs and arms, and a swollen right eye.
The emergency room physician testified that there was no evidence of bone fractures, head trauma, or internal bleeding when the victim was examined.
Welsh testified that Emily left the house freely after talking with him for several hours.
If you're affected by the issues mentioned in this story, you can call the National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247. Download the Brightsky App.
