77-Year-Old Man Strangles Woman For Refusing To Return Clothes He Bought Her

A man in Virginia was taken into custody after he allegedly strangled his much younger online date after their meeting went askew. The man, identified as Richard Schmitt, was arrested from 7700 block Vernon Place on Tuesday night in Newport News, Virginia, after a complaint of reported assault was made, the police said.

According to a report in NBC affiliated, WAVY-TV, the 77-year-old Schmitt left his Colonia beach home and traveled two hours to meet up with the 23-year-old he connected with through a dating website called “Plenty of Fish”.

The reports state that the unidentified woman is a family friend of Schmitt. According to the criminal complaint filed, Schmitt showed up at her doorstep and appeared to be much older than he made himself out to be on the dating website.

The woman decided to stay anonymous but told WAVY-TV that she clarified with Schmitt about not being interested but suggested they become friends. “I didn’t get involved,” she said. She also revealed how Schmitt took her to a shopping mall and bought her $400 of clothes but when they got back home, he demanded she gives the clothes back including the new shirt she was wearing.

In the criminal complaint registered by the woman, she told the police about how he grabbed her by the neck when she refused to give the shirt back. She also disclosed how Schmitt threw her to the ground and proceeded to choke her which caused her to struggle to breathe.

Officer Jeffrey Cumming backed the woman’s story in their report and wrote, “I observed her necklaces were in pieces, and there were small bleeding scratches around her neck.”

On the contrary to the woman’s complaint, Schmitt denied attacking the woman and implicated that she was the one who pushed him. According to the criminal complaint that was filed, Schmitt said that when he went to get the clothes back, they argued. He added that she was the one who stepped in front of him and pushed him in the face because of which he lost balance and grabbed her by the neck. When asked about how she ended up on the ground, Schmitt remained unsure.

Read the complete criminal complaint here.

A neighbor who chose to stay anonymous also spoke with WAVY-TV and bashed Schmitt for doing something so terrible.“I think it is terrible to do something to a person like that…any man who would strangle a woman should be dealt with,” he said. In light of the incident, the police have charged Schmitt with felony strangling of another causing wounds and injuries.

He is due to appear in court on Nov. 14.