A decorated US Army veteran who had just retired from military service is to make an appearance in court today on charges resulting from an assault and battery. The victim was the veteran’s 19-year-old girlfriend.

John Wylie Needham had a distinguished stint in Iraq, receiving the Purple Heart as well as an Army Commendation Medal and a Combat Infantry Badge for his service there. The 25-year-old infantryman had just retired from military service two months ago.

The trouble apparently began when deputies received a call from a young woman who said she was in a dispute with another woman. That other woman happened to be Needham’s 19-year-old girlfriend Jacqwelyn Joann Villagomez. She was at Needham’s house when his ex-girlfriend arrived at the home. Needham and his ex-girlfriend went to another room to talk, and Villagomez seems to have followed them there. What followed was an altercation with the two women getting into blows with each other. When the girlfriend left to call 911, Needham seems to have flown into a rage at Villagomez. There’s no evidence yet that the injuries she suffered could have been caused by anything other than closed fist, but she was beaten badly.

When the deputies arrived at the home, they found Needham in a state of undress, quite intoxicated, and in a combative mood. The deputies had to use a stun gun to calm him down and apprehend him. When they looked through the rest of the house, they found Villagomez in the room, bloodied and unconscious. She was rushed to San Clemente Hospital, but she died from her injuries at about 12:15 am.

The ex-girlfriend, who called the deputies to the apartment, is not being regarded as a suspect in this case. Strangely enough, Needham’s father who was on the third floor of the condo, said that he was sleeping at the time of assault, and heard nothing.

Police are now treating this as a homicide investigation. Needham has been charged with one felony count of murder, and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. If found guilty, Needham faces a sentence of 25 years to life.

Some reports say that Needham suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after he returned from his stint in Iraq. His period of service itself seems to have been exemplary. Within just seventeen months of joining active duty, he had been honored with an Army Commendation Medal, which is usually not given to soldiers of his rank.

It’s unfortunate that such a distinguished career has been smudged by this assault and battery case. We hope the post-traumatic stress disorder that Needham reportedly suffers from is not taken as an explanation for his behavior. Many of our heroes return from war zones, with their share of demons to deal with - we rarely hear of them committing such a heinous murder.

Our sympathies lie with Villagomez. 19 is no age to die, and at the hands of another at that. As the days progress, we’re undoubtedly going to hear more about this case.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of assault and battery. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

A video showing eight teenagers beating up a 16-year-old girl has drawn outrage. The eight teenagers - six girls and two boys – have been arrested and now face charges.

The teenagers, ranging from age 14 to 18, apparently lured teenager Victoria Lindsay - a cheerleader at Mulberry High School in Lakeland, Florida - to a friend’s house and began punching her. According to police, who are piecing together the facts in this case, the eight teenagers lured Victoria to the house with the purpose of beating her and capturing the proceedings on video. They were planning to post this video on YouTube. She was slammed into a wall, and punched repeatedly as the two boys stood guard as lookouts. Severe blows were rained on her head, and she finally fell unconscious when her head was slammed against the wall.

Once she had been beaten unconscious, she was bundled into another car by three of her attackers, and taken to another house. She was threatened with an even more severe beating if she reported the matter to the police. By the end of her ordeal, Victoria had suffered a concussion, damage to her left eye and ear and several bruises all over her body.

The video graphically shows the extreme cruelty of the beatings.

According to the police, the attack apparently stemmed from some conflict that was carried on over MySpace and text messages.

The eight teens have been charged with false imprisonment and battery. The three teens who were involved in taking Lindsay in another car to a friend’s house after the beatings have been charged with kidnapping.

This might be the right time to ask where the parents of the teenagers were when all this was happening. At the very least, the parents of the girl in whose house the beatings took place need to give an answer. Hiding behind the excuse that they can’t be expected to keep a watch on their kids at all times of the day simply won’t do when their kids are involved in such crimes. When crimes are this severe, making age an excuse is simply unacceptable.

This was hardly the behavior of a bunch of innocent young girls. Teenagers who are coordinated enough to lure an unsuspecting victim to an empty house, rain blows on her and capture the proceedings on video to be posted on YouTube, show a high degree of malice intent. Let’s not make the mistake of dismissing this as a foolish prank.

To allow a cold hearted and preplanned crime of this nature go without punishment, would be dangerous. We hope Victoria’s parents are exploring all possible options at their disposal.

If you have been the victim of assault or battery, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.