Content warning: This story contains descriptions of alleged domestic violence.
New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore will not face domestic assault and battery charges after prosecutors in Massachusetts decided to drop the case.
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Barmore, 26, appeared in Attleboro District Court on Monday for an arraignment that was rescheduled from February 3 because the Patriots will play in Super Bowl 60 on February 8. During Monday’s proceedings, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn told the judge that prosecutors believed the case was “not viable,” Boston’s WCVB reported.
Quinn told reporters outside the courthouse that the woman who filed the complaint against Barmore did not want to travel out of state to hear the case, The Associated Press reported. Additionally, the fact that Barmore had not been arrested when the complaint was originally filed played a significant role in prosecutors’ decision.
“I have taken domestic violence very seriously my entire career,” Quinn said, via WCVB. “But as district attorneys we have an obligation to review all the evidence, and our review of the evidence is that this is not a case that we can prove.”
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Quinn added that the decision did not cast a judgment on what might have happened.
The criminal complaint states that on Aug. 8, Barmore took his then-girlfriend’s cell phone after an argument over air conditioning and food temperature. When the woman tried to leave Barmore’s home and screamed for help, he allegedly threw her to the ground and grabbed her shirt.
According to court documents, the victim called a car service for Patriots players to drive her and her daughter to Delaware.
The woman told local police that she reported the incident to police on August 25 and provided them with a photo showing bruises she claimed were from when Barmore threw her to the ground.
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Barmore’s attorney initially denied that any crime had occurred, saying “the evidence will prove that no crime occurred.”
In December, the woman told prosecutors via email that she did not want to pursue charges, according to court documents.
