Man gets probation for attack captured on video

Nearly 2 years aft the brutal beating of his daughter, which was captured successful location surveillance video that received planetary media attention, the antheral tin inactive visualize her injuries.

“I’ve ne'er seen idiosyncratic truthful bruised up successful my full life,” Robert Couillard said Wednesday day during the attacker’s sentencing hearing. “From her legs, head, back. Black, bluish and brown. Handfuls of hairsbreadth were ripped retired of her head.”

Darnell Rodgers, 25, was ordered to service 3 years probation for the onslaught connected Taryn Couillard. He pleaded blameworthy successful October to 1 number of coercion and 1 number of artillery home violence.

Should helium interruption his probation, District Judge Ronald Israel ruled, Rodgers could look 2 to 5 years down bars.

While prosecutors had sought situation time, and Robert Couillard spoke astir a request for “consequences for everyone’s actions,” his girl asked the justice for leniency.

“I conscionable consciousness that immoderate clip successful situation won’t service anybody successful this concern immoderate justice,” she said, explaining that Rodgers was a changed antheral and an “outstanding” father.

Although the mates broke up, they co-parent a toddler, they said.

Hours aft the New Year’s Day 2020 attack, the Metropolitan Police Department released a video successful an effort to place the pistillate who they thought astatine the clip mightiness person been kidnapped.

She was seen connected video crying and moving toward a location adjacent Warm Springs Road and the 215 Beltway, pleading for assistance arsenic she banged connected a door. Rodgers appeared from behind, violently throwing her to the crushed earlier helium kicked her and dragged her backmost to his car.

Their daughter, past a newborn, was successful the car, constabulary said.

Rodgers was arrested the adjacent time arsenic constabulary received tips aft they released the video.

The mates had been driving location aft a New Year’s Eve enactment erstwhile they started to fight, constabulary said. The pistillate told investigators that she pulled implicit and got retired of the car to question help.

Rodgers told constabulary that helium had been drunk and could lone retrieve that the quarrel was astir money.

He besides said helium was acrophobic his woman was going to permission him, according to his apprehension report.

In tribunal connected Wednesday, Rodgers turned toward his ex-girlfriend and her begetter and apologized, noting that helium could not ideate what helium would bash “if I was to spot idiosyncratic bash that to my daughter.”

Rodgers has been connected house arrest since helium was taken into custody.

He has not been successful occupation since, nationalist defender Susan Bush said. “I deliberation he’s going to beryllium a productive subordinate of society.”

Taryn Couillard said that Rodgers’ lack would “take a toll” connected their girl if helium went to prison.

“I cognize that what happened that nighttime is not who helium truly is,” she said.

Clark County Deputy District Attorney Hagar Trippiedi said she disagreed with probation and had advised the unfortunate against it.

“When the unfortunate doesn’t cooperate, it makes our occupation truthful overmuch tougher,” Trippiedi told the Review-Journal aft the hearing.

The justice said helium recovered it “unusual” that the unfortunate and her begetter gave contrasting interaction statements.

“One household subordinate intelligibly disagreeing with the other,” Israel said.

Rodgers and Couillard declined to comment, portion her begetter said it was “time to determination on,” arsenic helium walked retired of tribunal with her.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez astatine rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him connected Twitter @rickytwrites.