Opinion ID: 2455274
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Christina's History Between Age 18 And Gideon's Birth (October 2007 To February 2009)

Text: Christina was still 18 when she met and began dating Damian in Fort Yukon. Damian is approximately ten years older than Christina and he assaulted Christina from the beginning of the relationship. Christina moved to Venetie to live with Damian in a house he owned there. Damian paid their shared bills. Damian continued to be abusive after Christina became pregnant with their child, Gideon, in 2008. Christina testified to one incident that occurred when she was five months pregnant and Damian, intoxicated, woke Christina by grabbing her hair and slapping her. The couple traveled to Fairbanks in January 2009 in anticipation of the baby's birth. Two weeks before the birth, Damian came back to their room at a hotel, drunk. Christina knew that Damian became abusive when he was intoxicated and she sought help from the front desk to stop him from entering the room, but Damian punched through the window to get in. Damian was gone by the time the police arrived. He was later convicted of criminal mischief for the incident. Christina relocated to a different hotel but she allowed Damian to stay with her there. Four days before Gideon's birth, Christina was in her room at the hotel when Damian returned. He was intoxicated. Damian grabbed Christina, punched her in the face, pushed her down, and pulled out a knife. He started to approach Christina but then stopped and said he wanted to stab himself. Christina fled from the room, but Damian caught her, threw her to the ground, and punched her in the face. Damian was later convicted of Fourth Degree Assault and sentenced to jail. Christina testified that she thought being beaten by Damian caused her to go into labor early. Gideon was born four days later, on February 18, 2009. He tested positive for cocaine at birth, although Christina testified that she was unaware of this fact.