Former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Chad Wheeler has been found guilty of two counts of domestic violence involving a former girlfriend, according to multiple reports.
The ex-Seahawks backup was found guilty on Thursday of first- and second-degree domestic violence assault, and not guilty of unlawful imprisonment,ESPN,The Seattle TimesandSports Illustratedreported.
A King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson told ESPN that the state could seek a mandatory maximum sentence of five years for the first-degree assault charge because the jury determined that Wheeler “used force or means likely to result in death.”
Wheeler’s former girlfriend, Alleah Taylor,who has previously spoken out about the assault, seeminglyresponded to the verdict on X(formerly known as Twitter). “I finally have justice,” she wrote.
King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment or additional details about the verdict.
Wheeler, 29, was arrested in Kent, Washington in 2021 and later charged with domestic violence assault and unlawful imprisonment in connection with the crime,according toThe Seattle Times.
Wheeler’s trial was delayed due to his defense team’s repeated requests to “get expert evaluations done,” the newspaper reported.
Taylor told police Wheeler then threw her on the bed, choking her and trying to smother her. She began to lose consciousness and tried to fight back, but Wheeler grabbed her arm and twisted it, the documents allege.
Taylor recalled the moments after the alleged assault at the couple’s Seattle-area apartment in an interview withCBS This Morningin February 2021.
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Taylor, whose injuries included a fractured humerus and dislocated elbow, later told investigators that she was attacked after Wheeler had asked her to bow to him and she refused.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
