Man Who Burned Girlfriend's Face With Iron Gets 13 Years

The Queens man who burned his girlfriend's face with a hot iron while their three children watched was sentenced to 13 years in prison today. Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak called Eric Persaud's attack "horrendous and sick," and added, "Your actions are some of the worst I've seen a man do to a woman."

Persaud had allegedly attacked his girlfriend in a rage because she had called the cops on him after he smashed her phone and computer—he had previously threatened to kill her if she ever called 911 again. He tried to force her to burn herself with the iron, but when she refused, he burned both of her cheeks while forcing her to turn up the heat. He also slashed her in the face with a razor blade; she was in the hospital for 11 days afterwards.

Persaud called her at least 437 times from Rikers, begging her to lie for him, saying, "I need you to prepare the kids to start lying." He also told her, “I need you right now in my corner,” and promised that he had a strategy: she should vanish for the trial. “I’m smarter than you,” he said in one call. At least he was smart enough to call his actions "cowardly" yesterday in court, before being taken away.

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By Ben Yakas in News on March 18, 2011 11:26 AM

Comments [rss]

taracorinne

13 years isn't long enough for a sociopath like this.

Guest

Hate crime. He should get more.

TimeDown

As despicable as this person is, how is it a hate crime?

Guest

Oh, hi again. I already posted a link to an article on gender and hate crime in a reply to one of your comments in another article.

Here's an excerpt in case it's too much for you too read, or you don't care enough to read it:

"Nearly six years after two women were bound and gagged and had their throats slit while camping and hiking in Shenandoah National Park, the US Attorney held a historic nationally televised press conference on April 11, 2002 to announce that the US Justice Department invoked a federal hate crime statute for the first time to charge the alleged murderer with hate crime....According to prosecutors, Darell David Rice, a computer programmer from Columbia, Maryland is, by his own account, a man who hates lesbians and enjoys intimidating and assaulting women...he told police he intentionally selected women to assault "because they are more vulnerable than men"...evidence was introduced of the defendant's numerous physical and verbal assaults, demeaning sexual comments, and threats of injury or death...the defendant's killing of the two women was part of an ongoing plan, scheme, or modus operandi to assault, intimidate and injure and kill women because of their gender."

From:
guweb2.gonzaga.edu/againsthate...

So, how would you categorize this crime, if not as a hate crime?

TimeDown

Your own citation demonstrates why I don't believe this is a hate crime. I stated a similar response to this in another article you replied on. Not every crime against a woman is a hate crime. In the crime you cited the motive of the crime was clearly a hate towards women as a whole. The horrible man in this case only had a hate towards this one particular woman because of his perceived wrongs, not all women or just her because she is a woman. I categorize this crime just as every other assault, assault, a felony. If anything I guess it is also categorized as a domestic violence assault. There is actually specific hate crime legislation in NY and this crime does not fit the elements. You can read it for yourself here: http://law.onecle.com/new-york...

banittles

yet johnny rapist gets 3.5 years and tom 2nd degree murder only does 7

fucking legal system is a joke

Jay Geary

"My actions were cowardly, and there was no excuse for losing my cool."

I'm not sure being "upset that she'd called 911 because he smashed her phone and computer." and "promising to kill her if she called the cops again" qualifies as losing your temper, Eric.

MockAFella

13 years???? That's it???? This douche needs to be locked up for life. I guess torture/attempted murder/2 counts of endangering the welfare of a child ain't that big a deal, at least since the victim's not a famous celeb.

TimeDown

I believe he was only charged with assault. Torture by itself is not a charge and attempted murder was not charged here because threatening to kill someone is not the same thing as attempting it. And here as horrible as his actions were I don't think they qualify as attempting to murder. I'm not sure if he was charged with the endangering the welfare of a child or not. Needless to say 13 years doesn't seem to be enough in light of the circumstances.