GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – A man in Grand Junction is facing more than a dozen charges following allegations he brutally beat his own mother and tried to strangle her to death Sunday in Grand Junction.
Sylvester Tremaine Watson, 31, faces an attempted first-degree murder charge following a domestic violence incident the night of Dec. 11 in the area of Darby Drive and Bookcliff Avenue.
Police were called to the home at around 9:05 p.m., after the caller reported Watson was yelling at the man’s wife – identified as Helen Watson, 52 – before Watson shoved her several times, knocking her down to the ground and strangling her, a police report obtained by Denver7 states.
“I could see her face was badly beaten and was covered in what appeared to be blood,” Grand Junction Police Officer Kevin Imbriaco wrote in the report. “She had lacerations above both eyes, her left eye socket was swollen nearly shut and bruised. She had what appeared to be blood on her neck and a large amount of what appeared to be blood coming from her left ear.”
The caller, identified by police as Michael Mitchell, 55, reportedly tried to stop Watson from further injuring his mother, but was punched several times in the torso, according to the arrest affidavit.
The suspect’s mother was taken to the ER and told officers there that Watson punched her several times in the chest, then used one of his forearms and hit her in the nose. After trying to strangle her, Watson then reportedly punched her in the face before picking up a wooden chair and breaking it as he swung it across the woman’s back, the police report states.
Watson then allegedly dragged his mother through a hallway before locking her inside a room with her three grandchildren, who were there on court-ordered visitation.
The kids, ages 6, 7 and 9, witnessed parts of the violent attack, the affidavit states.
Police were able to get Watson under arrest after placing a leg-restraint on the suspect. He was then carried out of the house and into a patrol vehicle as he struggled against officers, the report shows.
Assistant District Attorney Rich Tuttle believes Watson was under the influence of some drug as it took four officers to get him under control, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports.
Watson also faces charges of first- and third-degree assault (one count each), kidnapping (one count), false imprisonment (three counts), child abuse (three counts), obstructing an officer (one count), resisting arrest (one count) and criminal mischief (one count).
He is being held at the Mesa County Jail. His bond has been set at $100,000.
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