St. Paul woman survives horrific assault; boyfriend charged

The criminal charges filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court read like the script from a bad horror movie. For the domestic assault victim, however, it was very real.

Demetrius A. Colvin is accused of repeatedly punching and kicking his 22-year-old girlfriend; twisting her arms and legs until her joints snapped; beating her with a closet rod; strangling her with a belt until she lost consciousness and beating her with the belt buckle; threatening her with a butcher knife and then cutting off her hair with it; pouring a flammable liquid on her head and trying to set her on fire, and urinating on her.

The couple's 1-year-old son watched the whole thing, the criminal complaint said.

Colvin, 21, of St. Paul, is charged with 12 felony counts of second- and third-degree assault, domestic assault by strangulation, false imprisonment and terroristic threats.

The complaint doesn't mention previous incidents of domestic abuse between the couple, but Danielle Kluz, coordinator of the Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Service Center, said abusers rarely are that violent right from the start.

State records show that Colvin's criminal history includes another incident of domestic abuse in August 2006, fleeing police, giving false information to police, theft and drunken driving.

According to the complaint: D'Metra Tate called 911 at 10:50 a.m. July 15 and whispered to the dispatcher that she needed police and medics.

Tate was crying and "appeared to be in great pain," the complaint said. Bruises, welts and puncture marks covered her face and body. She was cradling her swollen right hand and told officers she thought her arm and foot were broken.

She described an assault that lasted almost two hours, the complaint said. At one prophetic point, Colvin dropped his cell phone and Tate hid it in her bedding in hopes she could later use it to call police, the complaint said.

"That act may well have saved her life," said Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner.

"This is the most brutal domestic assault that has come through our office in quite some time," Gaertner said. "I'm glad -- and surprised -- she survived this attack.

"I have to wonder if she hadn't been able to get his cell phone and hide it and use it later to summon police whether in fact she might have ended up dead."

Colvin was arrested Wednesday when he was found hiding in a closet in Tate's home. Tate told officers he had arrived with his mother on Tuesday night and had apologized for assaulting her.

The complaint said that before his arrest, Colvin "admitted to his mother that he didn't think he beat Tate 'that bad.'" He later denied knowing what had happened to her.

Colvin is being held in the Ramsey County jail in lieu of $80,000 bail. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance this afternoon.