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A North Carolina man was sentenced to nearly 40 years in prison after beating a woman for 11 hours, a local district attorney said.
Joseph Timothy O'Buckley was recently tried and convicted of several charges, including attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, assault by strangulation, assault inflicting serious bodily injury, assault on a female, intimidating a witness and being a habitual felon, according to local ABC affiliate WPDE.
District Attorney Ted Bell, who represents McDowell and Rutherford counties in western North Carolina, made the announcement of the conviction online.
O’Buckley's sentencing is in connection to an incident that occurred at a motel in Marion, North Carolina, where he was staying with a woman he knew, according to the district attorney.
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O’Buckley reportedly locked the victim in a room and refused to let her leave by blocking the door. Over an 11-hour period, he reportedly assaulted and strangled the victim repeatedly, threatening to kill her and telling her that she would not survive.
The victim eventually escaped the room when O’Buckley fell asleep and ran away for help.
Emergency Medical Services, the McDowell County Sheriff's Office and Marion Police Department responded to the scene, and the victim was immediately taken to McDowell Mission Hospital for treatment of her severe injuries.
O’Buckley reportedly locked the victim in a room and refused to let her leave by blocking the door. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
O’Buckley was subsequently arrested, and authorities reported that O’Buckley continued to contact the victim from jail after being charged and threatened to hurt her if she testified against him.
Bell stated in his news release that O’Buckley's trial lasted three days and included several hours of testimony from the victim. The jury ultimately found O’Buckley guilty of all charges.
McDowell County Jail in Marion, North Carolina. (Google Maps)
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"We are very thankful for the trust and immense courage the victim has shown throughout this process, to the witnesses who came forward to support her, to McDowell County EMS, McDowell Mission Hospital, McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, and Marion Police Department for their work in this case, and to the jury for delivering justice for the victim," Bell said.
