LOGAN — A 65-year-old Logan man has admitted to multiple crimes after repeatedly strangling his intimate partner and threatening to kill her during an early morning dispute on Valentine’s Day. Brian Lloyd Smith remains in the Cache County Jail after Logan police officers responded to a report of a physical domestic dispute.
According to court records, Smith appeared Monday in 1st District Court in Logan. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and property damage, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of the agreement, five remaining charges were dismissed.
According to prosecutors, the victim told police Smith had consumed approximately two pints of vodka and became upset over a Valentine’s Day gesture. Smith called the woman into his separate bedroom, grabbed her neck with both hands, and constricted her airways. During the altercation, he also damaged a bedroom door in their shared home.
The assault escalated when Smith manipulated the victim’s right arm backward, causing her significant pain. He then tossed her onto the bed and sat on her chest. The victim reported this deflated her lungs and caused severe pain. When she reached for her cellphone to call 911, Smith threw the device across the room, stating he would not allow her to call the police because he did not want to return to jail.
According to charging documents, Smith then pressed his forearm against her neck, telling her he was going to kill her. The victim noted his pupils were dilated and his eyes appeared black. Fearing for her life and seeing “flutters in her eyes,” she bit and scratched him in self-defense.
She attempted to escape by kicking out a window screen, but Smith grabbed her, threw her into a closet, and strangled her again. The throw broke an antique lamp. After Smith threw his vodka bottle at her, the victim managed to crawl out of the room and run to a neighbor’s house for help.
Emergency medical personnel transported the victim to the hospital. The arresting officer noted linear red marks on her neck and redness on her arms. Smith also appeared to have slurred speech, a flushed face, and red, glossy eyes.
During Monday’s court appearance, Judge Angela Fonnesbeck ordered Smith to complete a presentence report about his criminal history. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for May 20.