"Boyfriend" sentenced to 35 years for attempted murder of woman

A South Carolina man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for attacking his ex-girlfriend and her mother and forcing the ex-girlfriend to ride on his motorcycle, then pushing her off. Curtis Nealey of Darlington, SC, was convicted  on two counts of assault and battery with intent to kill, criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, and kidnapping and possession of a weapon during the commission of violent crime. Nealey's conviction in a Darlington County courtroom came after a two day trial.

Fourth Circuit Court Judge Michael Baxley sentenced Nealey to 20 years on the assault and battery charges, 10 years for criminal DV, and 30 years for kidnapping. These sentences will be served concurrently, but consecutively with a 5 year sentence for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

The acts which led up to the sentencing took place on October 14, 2008. Nealey was spending time with his ex-girlfriend at her home when things began to become heated. When the victim's mother intervened, Nealey hit the mother over the head with a ceramic object, and forced the girlfriend at knifepoint to ride on his motorcycle.

Prosecutors were unable to determine exactly how fast the motorcycle was traveling, but were told by the victim that the vehicle was traveling at a high speed when she was thrown off. The ordeal continued when Nealey turned the motorcycle around to find the victim, who had survived the fall and attracted the attention of the driver of a passing 18-wheeler.

She grabbed on to the outside of the 18-wheeler and screamed “He’s trying to kill me,” as Nealey tried to pull her off. The driver of the 18-wheeler testified in court that Nealey left the scene after he told him he’d called the police. The woman suffered two broken arms that required plates and screws, head injuries, road burns as well as facial injuries as a result of the attack, McKenzie said.


Nealey was located and arrested by Darlington County authorities several days after [the] incident.

Because kidnapping and assault and battery with intent to kill are considered violent crimes by South Carolina, Nealey must serve 85% of his sentence.