Back in January of 2014, the MMA fighter who goes by the name War Machine was arrested for brutally beating and sexually assaulting ex-girlfriend Christy Mack, as well as a male friend of hers named Corey Thomas.
Yesterday, the 35-year-old former UFC star (born Jonathan Koppenhaver) was sentenced to life in prison for the vicious assaults.
He will not be eligible until the year 2053, when he’ll be 71 years old.
Koppenhaver was found guilty on all 29 charges against him, including sexual assault and battery with a deadly weapon.
A well-known adult film star prior to being attacked, Mack underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the physical damage that resulted from Koppenhaver’s assault, but she says there’s no fixing the psychological trauma that she’s endured.
Mack delivered an emotional statement at Koppenhaver’s sentencing hearing on Monday, telling the court that she’ll fear for her life if he’s ever released from prison.
“I do know when he gets out, he will kill me,” she said.
Koppenhaver attempted suicide back in October of 2015, leaving a note in which he appalling attempted to blame Mack for his predicament.
Though he told the court in a sentencing statement that he often wishes he’d succeeded in his efforts to take his own life, he also stated that he’s found religion and hopes to become a model inmate.
“I should have killed myself by now,” stated an emotional Koppenhaver.
“There’s no reason right now that I shouldn’t be in the dirt right now laying next to Aaron Hernandez. That’s 100 percent true,”
Koppenhaver went on to reveal that he believes he suffers from mental illness and is not entirely responsible for his actions:
“Not a day goes by that I don’t seriously regret all those things that I did. I was a very, very lost, very empty person,” he said in his statement.
“And to top it off, something’s not right with my head. Plain and simple. I’ve known that a long time and I’ve hated it. I’ve hated the way that I think. I’ve hated my impulses. “
He added:
“Half the time, I don’t know why I do some of the things I do. And some of the times I do things and I don’t even feel like I did them until it’s already done.”
Lawyers for Koppenhaver tell the press that he plans to the Nevada Supreme Court.