A Gahanna man who was facing multiple charges related to an attack on his former girlfriend last spring has pleaded guilty to two of the charges.
Brandon M. Muth, 24, of 289 Triumph Way, Gahanna, appeared Friday in Delaware County Common Pleas Court where he pleaded guilty to kidnapping and felonious assault.
Judge David Gormley said kidnapping is a first-degree felony and felonious assault is a second-degree felony. Gormley has scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 30.
Muth was originally charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, felonious assault, abduction and animal cruelty after he got into a physical altercation with his then-girlfriend, Kristy Neu, 20, of Sunbury, on April 18 at a residence in Sunbury.
Prosecutors said Muth assaulted Neu after she moved him while getting into bed. Muth hit Neu repeatedly and even hit Neu’s dog when it came to her defense, according to prosecutors.
The county’s first assistant prosecuting attorney, Kyle Rohrer, told Gormley that Neu suffered a wound to her nose, bruising around both eyes and bruising on her neck. Rohrer said the attack could have been life-threatening.
Rohrer told Gormley that Muth has been convicted on several misdemeanors, including domestic battery and assault, in Ohio and West Virginia.
Muth’s attorney, Joel Spitzer, filed a plea of “not guilty by reason of insanity” on May 29. Gormley then ordered that Muth undergo a psychological evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial.
On June 26, Dr. Daniel D. Hrinko, of Netcare Access Forensic Center in Columbus, issued a report that stated that Muth was “capable of understanding the nature and objective of the proceedings against him and assisting his counsel in his own defense.” Based on Hrinko’s evaluation, Gormley ruled that the case would go to trial in September.
On Sept. 11, a public defender was appointed to represent Muth. The defendant then waived his right to a jury trial on Sept. 14, electing instead to appear in Delaware County Common Pleas Court for a bench trial on Friday, Oct. 16, at which time he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and felonious assault charges.
