WINONA, Minn. – Police said they had seen all they needed to: The woman was battered. The man, Hunter Matthew McCutchen, 24, had swollen hands and blood on his knuckles. Police had received a 911 call from an apartment at 650 West Sarnia at 8:27 p.m. A woman was screaming “stop.” The call went dead. At the scene police found McCutchen and a woman shaking and crying. From the woman’s account and physical evidence, police pieced together what had happened: McCutchen had wrestled the woman to the floor in an argument, then pressed his forearm to her throat. The woman said she felt like she was going to die. She struggled to get up into a chair, but McCutchen straddled her and slapped,  screamed and proceeded to strangle her again. McCutchen grabbed a knife and said, “Do you know how much it would suck if I stabbed you with this?” The woman managed to flee into the bathroom and call 911. McCutchen forced his way into the bathroom with a knife, breaking the door frame and grabbing the phone. McCutchen told the woman not to say anything if police arrived. To police McCutchen denied hitting anything or anyone. At the jail, police drew up charges: Interfering with a 911 call, domestic assault, threatening harm and instilling fear, strangulation.

McCutcheon. Hands swollen, knuckles bloody