War Machine Found Guilty On 29 Of 34 Charges Of Violence And Sexual Assault

A Las Vegas jury found former MMA fighter War Machine (born Jon Koppenhaver) guilty today on 29 charges for when he brutally beat ex-girlfriend Christy Mack and her male friend Corey Thomas back in 2014. The jury deliberated for a day and a half before finding War Machine guilty of most of the charges, including battery constituting domestic violence, sexual assault, and preventing a victim from reporting a crime. Jurors declared a mistrial on the charges of attempted murder and attempted murder with a deadly weapon. They found him not guilty on battery with intent to commit sexual assault, coercion sexually motivated, and burglary with a deadly weapon.

War Machine was accused of showing up at Mack’s home in the early hours of Aug. 8, 2014, while she was asleep in bed with Thomas. Prosecutors told the jury that War Machine assaulted Thomas while Mack called 911. Once War Machine let Thomas leave, according to Mack and prosecutors, he began brutally assaulting her. Mack said her ex-boyfriend beat her until she was unconsciousness, then forced her to undress and shower before trying to rape her. While attacking her that day—and she said War Machine had allegedly been physically abusive to her throughout their relationship—he told her, “This is it. I’ve got to kill you now,” according to the prosecution.

Mack said she escaped when War Machine went looking for a sharper knife than the one he’d held to her head. After the attack, she tweeted photos of her eyes swollen shut with bruising, along with other injuries. She suffered broken teeth, a broken nose (and other facial bones), organ damage, and a fractured rib in the attack. Afterward, Mack went through facial and dental surgery.

War Machine was arrested in California after a weeklong manhunt. War Machine attempted suicide while in jail. During a pre-trial hearing, he laughed while Mack (whose full name is Christine Mackinday) testified.

Sentencing for the case will be June 5, Antonio Castelon of KSNV reported. Clark County District Attorney Jacqueline Bluth said War Machine faces life without parole despite the jury not coming to a decision on the charges of attempted murder, according to Adam Herbets of KVVU. War Machine’s lawyer, Jay Leiderman, said he will ask for a new trial.