Michael J. Kawaglia, 45, reached a deal with state prosecutors and pleaded guilty to second degree assault Wednesday. Kawaglia had originally been charged with a number of crimes, including attempted first degree murder, for a vicious assault against his mother in September 2014.
The unprovoked attack happened early morning at the woman’s Ekwok home. According to troopers, Kawaglia was heavily intoxicated.
The investigators’ written report portrays nothing short of torture that lasted for hours. Kawaglia beat his mother with a broken chair leg, cut her with a bread knife, and forced her to drink alcohol. At one point she was knocked unconscious, and woke in a pool of her own blood.
Before Kawaglia left the home, he cut the phone line, took her cell phone, and stole more than $100, said troopers.
The victim was hospitalized with lacerations, severe bruising, and a broken rib. Her eyes were swollen shut as a trooper took her statement.
As part of the plea deal, the prosecution dropped the attempted murder, robbery, and criminal mischief charges, and reduced the assault charge from first to second degree.
Judge Pat Douglass will determine Kawaglia’s sentence at an open hearing in July. He faces a presumptive range of one to three years in jail. The state will likely argue for more jail time, up to the maximum of ten years, based on the agreed upon aggravated nature of the crime.
Reach the author at dave@kdlg.org
This story originates from KDLG Public Radio and was published with permission.
