A city man was held in custody after a dangerousness hearing in Westfield District Court Friday, relating to an incident Wednesday afternoon, in which the man allegedly slammed his wife’s head against a wall while shouting “I am going to kill you.”
Officer Luis Morales responded to a 3:35 p.m. call from a neighbor of the victim reporting that a woman was being strangled and punched by her husband of three years, Louis A. Catjakis, 22, of 8 New Broadway Street.
Morales reports that a female party answered the door at that address, with red marks on her head, who denied she was assaulted.
In a document filed in Westfield District Court in support of an application for a criminal complaint, Morales said that he “observed swelling and redness to her face where she was (allegedly) punched, and hand print impressions on her neck were the defendant (allegedly) strangled her.”
The woman said that her husband was not at home but an inspection of the residence revealed him hiding in a bathroom.
Morales reports that Catjakis was immediately angered, agitated, and combative, and refused to speak with him.
The woman told Morales that she had been involved in a verbal altercation with her husband and said that her face gets red when she cries.
The woman refused to allow Morales to photograph the marks on her face and neck, and declined to speak with him further or make a formal statement.
However, the woman who had called the police provided a different account of the situation.
The witness, who described the victim as her “best friend” and neighbor, said that she had heard the altercation, which was occurring in the room where the couple’s year-old child was, and immediately removed the baby from the room.
She said that when she returned, she saw Catjakis punch her friend several times and strangle her while slamming her head into a wall.
An addendum to Morales’ report quoted Catjakis saying that he was going to kill her.
The witness said she fled the apartment to call police.
Morales reports “All the bruising was consistent with what the witness observed.”
Catjakis was arrested for assault and battery in a domestic relationship, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a wall) and for attempted murder.
The Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident, since it occurred in the presence of the baby.
An officer who spoke with Catjakis later while he was in custody said that, although the suspect did not deny the charges to him, his wife continued to maintain that she had not been assaulted.
Catjakis was released from the police station on $500 cash bail and ordered to have no contact with the victim.
He was arraigned in Westfield District Court on Thursday and the Commonwealth filed a motion for his pretrial detention.
Catkjakis was held overnight without right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Friday.
At the hearing, Catjakis was held without right to bail pending a May 10 hearing.
When the prisoner transport van arrived at the courthouse to take him to jail in Ludlow, his tearful wife, with their baby, was waiting in the parking lot to say goodbye to him.
Two officers were dispatched to the courthouse parking lot to monitor the situation and report that family members were crying and blocking the exit of the jail van.
Officer Harry Sienkiewicz reports that a probation officer asked him remain in the area to keep the peace as emotions were high.
The jail van left the court and the family members left after a tow service arrived to jump start their vehicle.
