Chatham County (October 25, 2022) – Police responded to the Lory Apartments on Abercorn Street after a woman called 911 saying she had been beaten and stabbed by her child’s father. The victim stated he attacked her after she told him she thought she was pregnant. The couple’s toddler was home during the attack.
Responding officers with the Savannah Police Department, Southside, arrested Esdras Lopez Barreno, 29, for the attack.
The victim was bleeding profusely, and there were large amounts of blood throughout the apartment when officers arrived. There was a large amount of blood on the living room floor, on the sofa, and a trail of blood on the kitchen floor leading to the bedroom.
The victim told police Barreno came home and began questioning her about where she had been. She told him she had been at home and thought she might be pregnant. The victim said Barreno became irate about her possible pregnancy, accused her of cheating, and beat her. She said Barreno slapped her in the face, and when she tried to get up, he pushed her back down on the couch and started striking her in the stomach, head, legs, and face. He then went to the kitchen for a knife and began stabbing at her while threatening to kill her.
Barreno tried to stab her in the belly due to the possible pregnancy, but she covered her belly and used the blanket to push away the blade. She told police the knife fell, and Barreno grabbed it again, held it over his head, and told her, “I’m going to stab you everywhere…You’re going to die today.”
The woman grabbed the knife with both hands and pulled it away from her attacker. She ran to the bathroom and locked herself inside, then ran to retrieve her phone from the kitchen to call for help. The mother told police she was praying Barreno would not kill their one-year-old son during the attack.
The knife was found behind the sofa where the victim was sitting when she was beaten. The blade was broken in half. The victim had a large laceration to her left thumb, swelling and a raised knot on the right side of her forehead, splattered blood on her hands and legs and blood stains on her bra strap.
Responding officers saw Barreno leaving the apartment, shirtless, after the attack and held him until the victim identified him. Barreno was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, battery, and cruelty to children. His bond was denied and a hearing is scheduled for November 28.
Barreno was involved in a hit-and-run case earlier this year in which he was accused of drunk driving and crashing into another vehicle. He was charged with DUI- less safe, obstruction, and traffic violations. That case remains open. A plaintiff filed a civil motion against Barreno as well.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On October 25, 2022, at 02:28, I responded to [9400 BLOCK] Abercorn St #[REDACTED] (The Lory Apartments) regarding a female who had been stabbed with a knife.
Upon arriving on scene, I observed a shirtless Hispanic male exit apartment #[REDACTED]. I told the male to stay with an officer while I entered the apartment and made contact with the victim. I observed a large amount blood on the living room floor, on the couch, and a trail of blood on the kitchen floor leading to the bedroom. I located the victim, [VICTIM #1], in the bedroom. I observed a laceration to her thumb that was bleeding heavily. She advised she had been stabbed and that the father of her child had tried to kill her. She immediately confirmed that the male outside the apartment, Esdras Lopez Barreno, was her child’s father. Cpl Sheller and I detained Mr. Lopez Barreno and placed him in handcuffs.
Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised she and Mr. Lopez had been in an on and off relationship for seven years, have a one year old son together, and live together at [9400 BLOCK] Abercorn St #[REDACTED]. Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised on October 25, 2022, at approximately 02:17, Mr. Lopez came home and began questioning her as to where she had been. She advised she told Mr. Lopez she had been at home and that she believed she might be pregnant. Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised Mr. Lopez became furious and accused her of cheating on him, then slapped her in the face. Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised she tried to get up from the couch, but Mr. Lopez pushed her back down and began striking her in the stomach, head, legs, and face.
She advised Mr. Lopez went into the kitchen and grabbed a fixed blade kitchen knife with a gold or golden brown handle and said, “I’m going to kill you! You’re going to die today!” Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised Mr. Lopez attempted to stab her in the stomach, but she used a blanket to prevent the knife from making contact with her body and tossed the blanket and knife away from her. She advised Mr. Lopez picked the knife up off the floor and raised it over his head and attempted to stab her again. Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised Mr. Lopez stated, “I’m going to stab you everywhere! You’re dead!”
Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised at that moment she believed Mr. Lopez was going to kill her, so she grabbed the knife with both hands as he attempted to stab her. She advised she managed to secure the knife away from Mr. Lopez, and toss it away before she ran and locked herself in the bathroom. Realizing she had left her cell phone in the kitchen, Ms. [VICTIM #1] left the bathroom to grab her cell phone so she could contact the police. She stated that she thought, “If I wait any longer he is going to kill me” and “I prayed to God he didn’t kill my son.” It wasn’t until she was calling 911 and saw the blood that she realized she had been stabbed.
Mr. Lopez and Ms. [VICTIM #1]’s one year old son, [REDACTED], was in the bedroom for the entirety of the incident.
I located the knife behind the couch. The blade appeared to have been broken in half. Ms. [VICTIM #1] advised the blade had not been broken at the time of the incident.
I observed a large laceration to Ms. [VICTIM #1]’s left thumb, swelling and a raised knot on he right side of her forehead, splattered blood on her hands and legs. I also observed blood stain on her left bra strap.
Mr. Lopez was arrested and charged with O.C.G.A 16-5-21 Aggravated Assault, O.C.G.A 16-5-23.1 Battery DVA, and O.C.G.A 16-5-70 Cruelty to Children 3rd Degree. Another officer transported Mr. Lopez to CCDC for booking.
Photos of the scene and injuries were uploaded to Axon Capture.
EMS responded to the scene and transported Ms. [VICTIM #1] and [REDACTED] to Memorial Hospital for treatment.
A supervisor responded to the scene.
A Domestic Violence Detective responded to the scene. A CRN was issued.
[End of Narrative]
