MCDOWELL COUNTY, NC– A man who reportedly trapped and beat a woman he knew for nearly 11 hours in a motel has been sentenced to 40 years behind bars.
District Attorney Ted Bell made the announcement earlier this week that Joseph Timothy O’Buckley will serve 40 years behind bars for attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, assault by strangulation, assault inflicting serious bodily injury, assault on a female, intimidating a witness, and habitual felon.
According to the report, O’Buckley and the victim were staying at a motel in Marion when for unknown reasons, O’Buckley locked the woman in the room, barricaded the door, and refused to allow her to leave.
He then beat and strangled the woman off and on for the next 11 hours.
The victim told investigators that O’Buckley told her that he was going to kill her and that she was not going to make it out of the room alive.
The victim was eventually able to escape after O’Buckley fell asleep.
She ran across the street to a nearby home where the resident contacted the police.
The woman was rushed to an area hospital with severe injuries, while O’Buckley was taken into police custody.
According to the report, while O’Buckley was behind bars, he made several phone calls to the victim threatening to kill her if she testified against him.
“We are very thankful for the trust and immense courage the victim has shown throughout this process, to the witnesses who came forward to support her, to McDowell County EMS, McDowell Mission Hospital, McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, and Marion Police Department for their work in this case, and to the jury for delivering justice for the victim,” Bell said in the release.”