90 DAY FIANCE Geoffrey Paschel trial day one recap with photos & video
The trial of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days star Geoffrey Paschel started in Knoxville, Tennessee earlier today. He is facing charges of aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, and interference with an emergency call after an altercation with his fiancée, Kristen Wilson, in June of 2019.
In the defense’s opening statement, Geoffrey’s attorney told the jury that the injuries sustained by Kristen Wilson were self-inflicted. The severe head injury sustained by Kristen that night was allegedly caused by her hitting her head against a door frame prior to leaving the house.
The defense argues that Kristen’s account of having her head bashed into the floor repeatedly going up four steps was physically impossible. He also argues that if the altercation lasted as long as Kristen claims, her injuries would have been much more severe and she would have been hauled out on a stretcher. He also emphasizes the idea that Kristen had “strongly poured cocktails” prior to the incident.
The first witness called by Kristen’s attorney was the neighbor whose house Kristen ran to the night of the incident. The neighbor described Kristen as looking like “she had been in some kind of accident.” After letting Kristen in her house, the neighbor called 911.
Kristen testified next, and she shared her account of what happened that night. It lined up with what she stated in her order of protection filing, which is included below. Kristen also revealed quite a bit of information that was not known via the court and police records we have previously reported on.
Here is a brief list of some of the “new” things revealed during Kristen’s testimony:
• Kristen and Geoffrey were engaged at the time of the incident on June 9, and had been for months. (All of our previous reporting was done based on her being just a girlfriend.)
• Kristen started dating Geoffrey in 2017 and they broke up in April of 2018 because they disagreed about whether or not they were monogamous. (Kristen believed they were and she said Geoffrey did not.)
• Kristen says she was angered when she found out well into their relationship that Geoffrey had not told her about all of his kids and ex-wives.
• At the time of the incident, Kristen was a fourth grade teacher.
• Kristen insists she only had Champagne prior to the incident. If that is true, then the defense’s notion of the waitress (who was a friend of Kristen’s) serving “strongly poured cocktails” doesn’t make much sense.
During Kristen’s testimony, the prosecution shared photos of her injuries taken by police that arrived on the scene, ones taken at the hospital where Kristen was taken, and photos taken in the following days. The images are very graphic. You can click HERE and HERE to see photos taken at the scene, and HERE, HERE and HERE for photos taken within a few days when the bruising was more evident.
UPDATE – Here’s our Instagram gallery with some of the photos. Scroll right to see them:
Kristen clearly had a VERY large bump on her forehead and eventually had two black eyes. She had multiple bruises all over her body. She also had serious scrapes and/or carpet burn marks on her elbow and knees, which is consistent with being dragged — as she alleges.
Also presented into evidence were photos taken inside Kristen’s home where the incident took place. The photos include blood splatters on the walls and floor. Here is one photo allegedly showing blood smeared on the living room light switches:
The trial appeared to potentially be in jeopardy of a mistrial when one of the officers that arrived on the scene the night of the incident was asked to describe the visible injuries on Geoffrey Paschel. Despite the prosecutor asking him to only describe what they looked like, the officer still offered up his opinion by stating they looked to be self-inflicted. (The original police report stated: “Geoffrey had scratch marks on his stomach and chest which appeared to be self-inflicted.”)
After the judge and attorneys had a sidebar, the witness was clearly instructed to not offer up any opinions or conclusions. After being asked to describe the injuries again, the officer began by stating the injuries looked to be vertical symmetric scratch marks on Geoffrey’s upper chest, and symmetric scratch marks that started at his sternum and descended at an angle towards both of his hips. He stated Geoffrey also had horizontal scratch marks on his lower back. The officer demonstrated the location and the direction of the scratch marks with his own hands.
There were photos presented of Geoffrey’s injuries, but given the court room projection plus recording method, they were indiscernible on the live stream. Here’s one of the three photos presented:
There was body cam video footage presented in court that showed the officers speaking with Kristen at her neighbor’s house. There was also body cam footage of the officers speaking with Geoffrey at Kristen’s house. He walks the officers through his version of what happened, including showing officers where Kristen allegedly slammed her own head into the wall outside their bedroom.
The trial was live streamed by Court TV, and most all of the attorneys offering up their commentary during the broadcast stated that Kristen came across as VERY believable. They also seemed to concur that Kristen’s injuries shown in the photos were not consistent with self-inflicted injuries.
The jury was dismissed at roughly 4:30PM. After the jury left, the defense moved for a rule 29 acquittal, which was denied by the judge.
The prosecution and defense agreed that Geoffrey’s prior convictions would not be brought up if he decided to testify. The attorneys stated that they were drug offenses which would be unrelated to the case. The judge mentioned Geoffrey’s 2014 theft conviction, but the prosecutor stated she was unable to obtain a certified copy (of the police report I assume?) so she wouldn’t be bringing that up either.
There was no mention of the multiple allegations of sexual assault and rape made by Geoffrey’s ex-wives during the course of their custody cases. There was also no mention of the previous order of protection against Geoffrey filed by an ex-girlfriend in 2011.
The defense attorney asked about lesser counts for the three charges, and the judge listed off the potential lesser charges for assault and kidnapping. There was no lesser charge option for the interference with an emergency call charge.
I am unaware what happened with the vandalism charge that Geoffrey Paschel was previously facing stemming from the incident. According to the indictment, the vandalism charge was due to damage that Geoffrey allegedly did to the police vehicle he was in after being arrested. Here is an excerpt from the police report detailing Geoffrey’s multiple outbursts while in transit to the police station after his arrest:
The arrestee was initially taken into custody without incident. While in custody, the arrestee attempted to kick out the windows of the patrol vehicle. Officers removed the arrestee from the vehicle and applied leg restraints. The arrestee made further attempts to damage the patrol vehicle while his legs were restrained. The arrestee was removed from the vehicle again and further restrained.
I assume there was video footage of these outbursts, so the vandalism charge seemed like a slam dunk for the prosecution. Plus, if there was video footage of Geoffrey’s outbursts just hours after the alleged attack on Kristen, it seems like that video would go a long way towards convincing a jury that he was capable of lashing out in anger? This is all speculation on my part.
The trial is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM. It will once again be streamed by Court TV on their YouTube channel.
Here is a video of just Kristen’s testimony followed by a YouTube video of the full trial. (Unfortunately, the YouTube stream had issues and there are some parts missing.)
If you haven’t been following along with our extensive (and mostly exclusive) coverage of Geoffrey over the past couple years, I will include a list of links below. As far as this particular case, here is Kristen’s detailed account of what allegedly happened on June 9 from the order of protection she filed (and was granted) against Geoffrey:
When I got back to my house, I was attacked by Geoffrey Paschel. He repeatedly bashed/slammed my head into the hardwood floors of my home. He dragged me through the house by my hair and continued throwing my body into walls and furniture. (I know this because of blood on my walls, furniture, etc. Also, the couch was overturned and the kitchen table was moved several feet.) I screamed for him to stop multiple times. This went on for approximately 30 minutes.
My nose was dripping blood into my mouth, so he made me wash my face with the lights off and blow my nose. He flushed the toilet paper down the toilet when I was finished. He then ordered me to get into my bed, which I did to stop any further abuse.
He got on my phone and began deleting all contact (texts, e-mails, voicemails, pictures) between us. He spent about 2 hours on my phone while I laid in bed beside him pretending to sleep. He pulled the screen off the front of the phone and disabled it so I could not call/text anyone, then put it on the bedside table. He also synced my iCloud to his MacBook.
When he was finished going through my phone, he tried to embrace me and apologize. I told him not to touch me and quickly jumped out of bed and ran out the front door to my neighbor’s house. I rang her doorbell and asked her to call 9-1-1, which she immediately did.
STARCASM COVERAGE OF GEOFFREY PASCHEL
A nearly complete list of our articles about Geoffrey with titles, links, and a brief synopsis of each:
Geoffrey Paschel facing kidnapping, assault charges; ex gf gets order of protection
Terrifying details on the allegations made by Geoffrey’s live-in girlfriend after he allegedly assaulted her in June of 2019. He was later arrested and is currently facing charges of aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, interference with emergency call, and vandalism.
Geoffrey Paschel is still married, wife says he abused her, she took their kids to Canada
Information on the bitter split between Geoffrey and his estranged current wife Brittany Paschel, including her taking their two children illegally and running off to Canada. Brittany also accused Geoffrey of abuse, and court documents indicate that Geoffrey’s third wife provided an affidavit to support Brittany with allegations of her own.
Geoffrey Paschel lost custody of son, more details from 2019 domestic assault arrest
After Geoffrey’s arrest in June, Brittany filed for (and got) custody of their son. Post includes additional details about Geoffrey’s arrest from the police report, including the fact that additional restraints had to be applied to Geoffrey multiple times after he attempted to kick out the windows of a police vehicle after being placed in custody.
More allegations of abuse against #90DayFiance #BeforeThe90Days' Geoffrey Paschel from his 2nd ex-wife. (These are different allegations than the ones we previously reported on by Geoffrey's current estranged wife and his ex-girlfriend from last year.) https://t.co/fKfQufYmvR
— Starcasm (@starcasm) January 9, 2020
Geoffrey Paschel’s 2nd ex-wife says he ‘repeatedly raped’ her in divorce filing, plus more abuse allegations
Details on the allegations made by Geoffrey’s second wife during their divorce, including her claim that he “repeatedly raped” her. There is also information from her order of protection filed against him in which she alleges that Geoffrey attacked her multiple times during their marriage, including one instance involving a shotgun and another with a knife held to her throat.
Geoffrey Paschel shares video at son’s grave, offers grief coping advice
Geoffrey shares a video on YouTube recorded at the grave of his son Kazhem, who tragically passed away in March of 2018 at just 13 months old. The video is titled “How to Manage The Loss Of A Child,” and it includes Geoffrey’s thoughts on his son’s passing and coping with the grief.
Geoffrey Paschel criminal history timeline
We continue our in-depth coverage of controversial 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days star Geoffrey Paschel by moving on from the numerous allegations of domestic abuse made against him by his wives and girlfriend and taking a look at his other arrests.
The #90DayFiance franchise has a history of questionable casting choices, but #BeforeThe90Days season 4's Geoffrey Paschel may just top the list! Read the startling allegations from an order of protection filed against him by his ex in June of this year! https://t.co/FNOfPQo50Q
— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 23, 2019
Ex-wife accuses Geoffrey Paschel of reselling prescription opiates, using his children as a ‘cover’ or ‘mule’
We take a peek at Geoffrey’s third marriage and the contentious custody battle for the couple’s son. Geoffrey’s ex references numerous allegations against him in court documents, including “his practice of selling opiate medication and historic involvement of his children as a ‘cover’ or ‘mule’ in his illegal activities.”
Geoffrey Paschel played The BTK Serial Killer for Snapped on Oxygen
Geoffrey Paschel is no stranger to the small screen. Before making his reality show debut with TLC, Geoffrey compiled a pretty extensive acting resume, including a role as one of America’s most infamous serial killers.
Why do fans want Geoffrey Paschel removed from Before the 90 Days? Full controversy recap
We recap all the controversies surrounding 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days star Geoffrey Paschel, including his criminal history and the numerous allegations of abuse made by his former wives and girlfriends. We also include Geoffrey’s social media posts about his past and the negative things being said about him — including the Change.org petition demanding his removal from TLC.
Geoffrey Paschel assault & kidnapping case delayed, plus 2011 protection order revealed
Update on Geoffrey’s assault and kidnapping case. Plus, a 2011 police report reveals that another of Geoffrey’s ex-girlfriends had an order of protection filed against him at the time.
Geoffrey & Varya update and Before the 90 Days Couples Tell All spoilers
Geoffrey and Varya reportedly did not participate in the Before the 90 Days Couples Tell All special after TLC did not invite him. A reliable source says that TLC did extend an invitation to Varya, but she told the network that if Geoffrey couldn’t participate, then she wouldn’t either. The special was filmed remotely during the first weekend in May.
Geoffrey Paschel calls Big Ed ‘pervert’ & talks Tell All snub, pending criminal case, Mary and more
Geoffrey Paschel calls his Before the 90 Days co-star Big Ed Brown a pervert during an interview on The Domenick Nati Show. Geoffrey also talked about his pending kidnapping and assault case as well as the awkward love triangle between himself, Varya and Mary!
Geoffrey Paschel’s girlfriend Mary Wallace arrested for domestic violence in 2013 EXCLUSIVE
On 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, controversial star Geoffrey Paschel is currently caught up in a love triangle with his Russian girlfriend Varya and his good friend Mary from Tennessee. After Varya rejected Geoffrey’s marriage proposal, he returned to the United States and decided to try to pursue a relationship with Mary. The two have a friendship history together, they live close to each other, and they also have something relatively unique in common: being arrested for domestic violence!
VIDEO Geoffrey Paschel shares details on son Kazhem’s death at the age of 13 months
In a new YouTube video, Geoffrey opens up about the passing of his 13-month-old son Kazhem Paschel in March of 2018. In addition to Geoffrey’s emotional account of what happened, the video includes medical records, audio recordings, a 911 call transcript and more.
Geoffrey Paschel kidnapping and assault trial delayed again more than 2 years after arrest
The trial of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days star Geoffrey Paschel has been delayed yet again. Geoffrey is still facing charges of aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, interference with an emergency call, and vandalism after an altercation with his American girlfriend in June of 2019. The altercation was shortly before Geoffrey started filming with TLC, including his trip to Russia to see Varya.
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
