Man Attempted To Shoot, Drown Girlfriend In Bathub Over Text From Ex-Husband

A Zebulon, North Carolina, man attempted to kill his girlfriend April 5, after she received text messages from her ex-husband.

According to a search warrant application released Thursday, 34-year-old Christopher Ryan Griggs “got infuriated” after he saw the text messages on the victim’s phone. He then got aggressive and choked her before attempting to drown her in the bathtub. He then “discharged firearms” inside the home and went on to place the gun against the victim’s head, threatening to shoot her in the face. Griggs then took away the victim’s phone in order to stop her from calling the police, NBC-affiliated television station WRAL reported.

The unidentified victim, who was in a serious condition, waited until the next day to call for help as she feared Griggs might kill her. Police arrived at the home, but Griggs barricaded himself inside the house for a few hours before surrendering, the News Observer reported.

Meanwhile, the victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment and listed stable. On Thursday, officers seized two 9mm handguns, three rifles, a shotgun and ammunition from the home.

Griggs was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, interfering with the 911 system and resisting a public officer. He remained in Wake County Jail without bond as of Thursday night.

In a similar incident, a New Jersey man killed his girlfriend after she refused to stop texting another man. Pedro Lora-Pena, 42, shot his girlfriend while driving back home after she refused to give him her phone. He was arrested and charged with murder after the body was found in the car’s trunk, NBC 10 reported.