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'You're Going To Die Today': Man Accused Of Strangling Girlfriend, Threatening Her With Sword

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KNOXVILLE (KDKA) -- A Knoxville man is facing charges after he allegedly strangled his girlfriend and attacked her with a sword.

Officers were sent to a Uni-Mart on Brownsville Road around 8:40 a.m. for a report of domestic violence.

When they arrived, a woman told them her boyfriend, 35-year-old Darnell Rashaad Johnson, came home from work around 8:30 a.m. and started screaming at her, saying, "I lost my job because of you [expletive]."

The woman said Johnson then went into their dining room, got a sword and stood above her as she was crouching down on the 1st floor landing.

According to a criminal complaint, Johnson allegedly said, "You're going to die today [expletive]."

darnell rashaad johnson
(Photo Credit: Allegheny County)

The woman says ran to her bedroom where her son was, but Johnson followed her and put his hands around her neck. When he let her go, the woman gathered her kids and took them to the Uni-Mart for safety.

The criminal complaint says officers saw red marks around the woman's neck and throat, red marks on her arm and a cut under her ear.

The officers then went to the home and knocked on the door. The criminal complaint says Johnson verbally answered the door, but it was about 5 to 10 minutes before he came outside.

When he did, officers say he appeared nervous and shaky. Johnson told the officers his girlfriend had called him and asked him to come home from work. He said they had a verbal argument when he arrived, but there was no physical confrontation.

Officers handcuffed Johnson and transported him to the Allegheny County Jail.

After receiving consent from Johnson's girlfriend to search the home, the officers found a sword in the dining room and a sword cover on the floor of the stairway.

Johnson is facing multiple assault charges.

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