Man leaves woman on couch for three days after murderous assault
Oct 8, 2012, 1:47 PM | Updated: 3:42 pm
The suspect in a “murderous assault” told Pierce County Police he left his girlfriend on the couch after she fell backwards and hit her head on the television console.
William Selley, 41, claimed he and his girlfriend, 29-year-old Kathryn Southward were drinking on Sept. 28 when she fell backwards and hit her head.
He said he then put her on the couch so that she could recover, leaving Southward there for three days. He told police he didn’t take her to the hospital because she didn’t have medical insurance.
It wasn’t until she started vomiting a dark substance and was “incoherent” that Selley contacted his mother for help. She told him to call 911.
Once at the hospital, doctors determined Southward had three broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken bone in her neck and other internal organ damage.
Southward also had several bruises all over her body that were in various stages of healing.
When a sheriff’s detective interviewed Southward in the ICU, she said that Selley had beaten her. Her family told police that there was a history of domestic violence in the couple’s relationship. The detective also commented that he had never seen a victim this severely assaulted survive.
Southward died on Oct. 5. An autopsy determined the cause of death of was blunt force trauma to her chest and abdomen.
Selley was previously charged with assault, but now faces a charge of Murder in the Second Degree.
“October is domestic violence awareness month,” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “This kind of murderous assault unfortunately highlights a need to continue to hold an abuser accountable and to also prevent domestic violence.”
