A former MMA fighter accused of the attempted rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend has claimed he could not have sexually assaulted her because of the work she did as an adult film actress.
Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver, who has legally changed his name to War Machine, blew a kiss at a prosecutor when he appeared in a Las Vegas court on Tuesday to face 34 charges in relation to the alleged attack on Christine Mackinday, who performed under the name Christy Mack.
While in court, he allegedly blew a kiss at Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacqueline Bluth, who told the judge: “Judge, for the record, Mr Koppenhaver just blew a kiss at me.”
His defence lawyer Brandon Sua denied seeing his client blow a kiss, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Mr Sua claimed Mack, who met Koppenhaver during work on an adult film, had engaged in consensual rough sex throughout their relationship and said her work in pornography suggested consent.
Mr Sua also claimed her performances showed “the desire, the preference, the acceptability towards a particular form of sex activities that were outside of the norm”.
Ms Bluth responded: "Because she consented to those acts through her course of employment does not mean the defendant is then entitled to think he can do that to her.”
The judge asked Mr Sua for a written motion detailing the sexual relationship between Mack and Koppenhaver.
Mack, 24, was hospitalised with a lacerated liver, 18 broken bones and two teeth missing following the alleged brutal assault, which she described in detail during an interview with HBO in July.
Koppenhaver is accused of letting himself into her house and assaulting Mack and her friend Corey Thomas, who was staying over at the time.
Koppenhaver, 33, broke into the room and started beating Thomas first, according to Mack’s account of the night. Mack immediately dialled 911 and left the phone beside the bed throughout the incident. A voice can be heard screaming in disturbing footage from the call featured in the segment.
He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
