STATEN ISLAND — A man accused of fatally beating his girlfriend inside their Dongan Hills apartment punched her hard enough to severe an artery in her neck, prosecutors said.
Jeffrey McDonald, 23, was indicted on two-counts of manslaughter on Thursday for the March 10 death of Alyssa Johnson, 23, which took place inside the couple's North Railroad Avenue apartment, District Attorney Michael McMahon announced.
"The defendant and his girlfriend had apparently been embroiled in a domestic dispute and he stands accused of punching her with such force that he severed an artery, causing the victim to bleed to death," McMahon said in a statement.
Between March 9 and 10, McDonald and Johnson got into an argument inside their home, which turned physical when McDonald hit Johnson numerous times in the face and body, McMahon said.
Her death was ruled a homicide from blunt impact to the head and neck with a vertebral artery injury by the medical examiner's office.
"We are going to vigorously fight this case until the truth comes out," said Patrick Brackley, McDonald's lawyer, adding his client pleaded not guilty to the charges in court.
McDonald is due back in court on May 20, according to online court records.
