A Pennsylvania resident is in custody after allegedly inflicting severe burns on his girlfriend with a clothes iron, suspecting her of infidelity. The man, identified as Burton L. Byrd, reportedly held the woman captive in their Pittsburgh home from Saturday to Tuesday, preventing her from seeking medical help, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.
Upon releasing the woman, Byrd allegedly instructed her to fabricate a story about being assaulted near a fast-food restaurant and threatened harm to her family if she revealed the truth, as per the affidavit. Pittsburgh police were alerted to a potential domestic violence case when they responded to a hospital call around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The woman informed the police that Byrd had accused her of cheating while they were at their apartment on Saturday. She quoted Byrd as saying he intended to punish her for her supposed infidelity. Byrd allegedly forced the woman to undress and bound her hands with shoelaces. He then reportedly assaulted her with a belt and physically struck her, causing visible injuries.
Police officers observed bruising around the woman’s eye and ruptured blood vessels in her right eye, indicative of multiple blows to the face. The woman further alleged that Byrd heated an iron and began pressing it against her skin. When he deemed the iron not hot enough, he waited for it to heat up further before continuing the assault, demanding to know if she had been unfaithful.
The woman stated that she repeatedly denied cheating on Byrd, but after enduring the iron burns multiple times, she fabricated a confession to make him stop. The brutal attack spanned approximately four hours, according to the affidavit. After ceasing the assault, Byrd attempted to treat her injuries with gauze but refused to let her go to a hospital.
The woman was eventually able to seek medical attention and was transferred to a hospital equipped with a burn unit. She is expected to remain in the hospital for at least two weeks. Byrd is now facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault, kidnapping, witness intimidation, and false imprisonment. It remains unclear whether he has legal representation.