PEORIA, IL – A 21-year-old man is in custody after prosecutors say he beat his girlfriend for hours, strangled her, and threw knives at her inside their Peoria home before she managed to escape while he slept. The allegations, detailed by police and prosecutors, describe a prolonged assault that left the woman with significant injuries and led to multiple felony charges.
Johnnie Chiaravalle has been charged with two counts of aggravated domestic battery, along with domestic battery and unlawful restraint “for beating his girlfriend over the course of several hours,” the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office announced. He remains jailed pending trial.
Officers were called Monday to the East Bluff Community Center after receiving a report that a woman “had been attacked.” When they arrived, police said they “observed that the victim’s eyes were nearly swollen shut, she had multiple cuts and lacerations on both legs, and visible bruising all over her face and body.”
Victim details hours-long assault
According to police, the woman told officers “she was attacked by her boyfriend,” identifying Chiaravalle as the suspect. She said he “would not let her leave their home and beat her over the course of eight to nine hours,” using his fists to strike her face, head, and body, “fracturing her nose.”
She further reported that Chiaravalle “strangled her multiple times and threw knives at her, causing cuts and lacerations to her legs.” The woman told authorities she was only able to flee after he fell asleep.
Police said she was hospitalized as of Tuesday with “non-life-threatening injuries.”
Evidence found inside home
Officers later went to the couple’s residence, where they encountered Chiaravalle. Police said he “told officers he had been asleep and claimed someone else must have caused her injuries.”
Inside the home, investigators reported finding “clumps of hair” believed to belong to the victim, along with “red blood-like stains on the floor, and multiple steak and folding knives.”
Chiaravalle was arrested at the scene and booked into jail. He is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on May 13.