Lynn man charged with attempted murder

LYNN – A judge ordered a Lynn man held without bail Monday after a woman with a black eye and “knots” in her head testified the man choked her and punched her more than 10 times in the face after she questioned a phone call the man received.”He has made me so scared of him, I would do whatever he wanted,” the alleged victim testified in Lynn District Court Monday while applying for a restraining order after multiple incidents of alleged abuse.Damien Bowers, 40, of 56 Johnson St. #1, was arrested and charged with attempted murder; kidnapping; domestic assault and battery; and witness intimidation; at 6:33 p.m. Saturday.Bowers was arraigned on the charges Monday in Lynn District Court where a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.Attorneys did not discuss details of the case in court Monday, as the defendant did not challenge Essex Assistant District Attorney Erin Bellavia’s request that Bowers be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing.But while applying for a restraining order, the alleged victim testified Bowers hit her multiple times in the face, choked her and refused to let her call police or leave the apartment the night of the alleged incident.”Is that how you got the black eye?” Lynn District Court Judge Mary McCabe asked the alleged victim. She answered yes and said she also had “knots” in her head.The alleged victim’s testimony largely echoed the report of police who met the alleged victim at the station Saturday.”I could immediately see bruising on her head left and right sides, bruising on her nose and around her eyes, as well as what looked like finger prints on her neck on both sides,” Lynn Police Officer Michael Tortorise reported.The alleged victim told police she and Bowers got into “a small argument” over a phone call he received and didn’t want to answer, according to the report. The alleged victim told police Bowers became physically abusive, punching her more than 10 times and biting her on the arm, police reported, noting teeth marks on the alleged victim’s skin.The woman told officers she tried to call police but Bowers took her phone away and refused to let her leave the apartment, holding her in a bear hug in the bedroom until the next morning. The woman told police she went numb during the alleged strangulation, according to the report.The alleged victim told police she feared for her safety and “felt if Bowers found out about this (report) he would kill her” as he had threatened to do in the past, according to the report.She was reluctant to testify in court, scared to look at Bowers and even blaming herself for “provok(ing) some of it, by being jealous.”The defendant waived his right to challenge the restraining order.McCabe granted the order and ordered Bowers held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Thursday.