Commonwealth v Bernard O. Everson:  On February 9, 2016, Bernard O. Everson, appeared before Judge John F. Cherry for trial on multiple domestic violence cases.  Before the trial was set to begin, Everson reached a negotiated plea agreement with the Commonwealth.  Everson pleaded guilty to one count of Aggravated Assault and one count of Simple Assault for two separate domestic violence assaults against two different women.  Everson was immediately sentenced by Judge Cherry to serve 5-15 years in a state correctional institution. 

Factually, at docket CP-22-CR-3642-2014, on April 24, 2014, around 11:52 p.m., the victim, a girlfriend of Everson’s, was at Everson’s house talking to his sister.  Everson came into his sister’s room and told the victim to leave and threw her bag into the hallway.  The victim and Everson’s sister started laughing.  Everson grew angry and proceeded to choke the victim 4-5 times to the point that she began to blackout; the last time her body became weak and her head started spinning.  When the victim was able to leave the house, Everson sent her a text message that he was going to “f--- her life up.”  As a result of this conduct Everson was charged with one count of Simple Assault.

In the second case, docket CP-22-CR-778-2015, on January 11, 2015, around 12:30 a.m., Everson was at another girlfriend’s house in Harrisburg city.  Everson demanded that victim sign on to her Facebook account so he could review what she was doing online and who she was talking to.  When the victim refused, Everson became irate and began to strangle the victim with both hands.  The victim indicated to police that this assault occurred over ten times throughout the early morning hours.  She further indicated that she did black out during the strangulation.  She did have visible red marks on her neck.  Everson also used his elbow to strangle the victim throughout the morning.  Additionally, the victim’s 3-year-old daughter was present at the time of these assaults.  Further, Everson also made several threatening statements:  he threatened to kill the victim and her kids, and threatened to burn her house and her mother’s house down. 

This violent assault occurred several times throughout the early morning hours.  Numerous times throughout the night the victim tried to get away; however, Everson followed her wherever she went throughout the house and would pull her by her hair if she managed to get too far away.  Eventually, Everson smashed the screen to the victim’s brand new RCA tablet and poured liquid detergent into the cable box beside her television.

Around 2:30 a.m., after two hours of Everson’s torture, the victim managed to lock herself in her bathroom.  Everson proceeded to break down the door to gain access to the victim.  Once inside, Everson proceeded to urinate on the victim.  

Finally, around 8:45 a.m., the victim was able to grab her daughter and run out of the residence and call for help.  As a result of the above conduct, Everson was charged with Aggravated Assault for causing or attempting to cause serious bodily injury to the victim.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Andrew J.Jarbola, IV.  The incidents were investigated by Harrisburg Police Officers Jeffrey Clark and Angel Diaz.