Kentucky — According to police testimony at his ongoing trial, a Kentucky man arrested for chaining up his girlfriend and committing other crimes against her claimed the woman did it herself because she couldn’t stop cheating on him.
Moises May of Louisville allegedly attempted to claim that Jonna Wilson, his daughter’s mother, chained herself up before cops discovered her at a home in Louisville’s Park Hill neighborhood in 2023, according to Detective Brittany O’Neil of the Louisville Metro Police Department.
O’Neil testified in court on Wednesday at May’s trial, explaining that there were no signs or evidence of self-imprisonment, according to local Fox affiliate WDRB.
“It didn’t seem like it was something she did to herself,” O’Neil told WDRB. According to the outlet, May claimed to police that Wilson chained herself up because she couldn’t stop being unfaithful.
O’Neil told jurors that May allegedly used a machete to cut Wilson’s hair, telling police she “lost a bet” with him over checkers. He allegedly changed his story and later claimed it was cut off because Wilson wanted to dye her hair but May refused, so she requested that he cut it instead.
O’Neil also alleged that May trafficked Wilson and forced her to have sex with men for money. He allegedly repeated this at least five times.
Following May’s arrest, police released disturbing body camera footage showing officers discovering Wilson chained to the floor of a second-story bedroom and rescuing her.
“Thank you so much,” Wilson is heard saying on video.
She and the officers can be seen walking past a room with a padlocked door, and she says, “He never let me in there.”
The Louisville Metropolitan Police Department responded to the home on the night of August 16, 2023, after neighbors heard Wilson screaming for help from a broken-out window on the second floor and called police.
When officers arrived, they discovered that the entire first floor was barricaded. They tried kicking in doors and breaking windows, but to no avail. An officer eventually took a ladder and climbed to the second floor.
When he entered the room, Wilson was trembling and crying. She wore a metal collar around her neck that was secured with a MasterLock, chain, and bolted to the floor.
Officers summoned paramedics to check on Wilson, who was treated on the scene. The paramedics used bolt cutters to remove the chain from her neck.
According to the arrest citation reviewed by Law&Crime, May and Wilson were arguing when he allegedly held her down on the floor, cut off most of her hair, and chained her up.
He slapped her and threatened to kill her several times, according to the report. May also allegedly forced Wilson to remove some of her clothing, saying “you’re gonna get it tonight” and “I told you the next time you leave and don’t come home, I’d kill you.” He allegedly chained her up for approximately five hours, according to WDRB.
Wilson told the outlet about the alleged ordeal in August 2023, claiming she feared for her life.
“I said, ‘This is my only chance; if I don’t get out now, I’ll die,'” Wilson told the outlet.
Related coverage: “He made me strip naked, put a chain around my neck, and called a friend to return the equipment to Lowe’s.” When I return, I am going to kill you. “I only had a few minutes to get out,” Wilson remembered.
May, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of kidnapping, human trafficking, and harassment against Wilson. According to WDRB, jurors are expected to hear the case on Thursday following closing arguments.
