Man In South Carolina Gets 12 Years For Biting Off Ex Girlfriend's Lip

Getty Images

Man Gets 12 Years In Prison For Biting Off Part Of His Ex’s Lip

A 23-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for biting off a part of his ex-girlfriend’s lip.

Seth Aaron Fleury from South Carolina pleaded guilty on Thursday to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. He is going to serve at least 85% of the 12 year sentence before he becomes eligible for parole, according to a release from state solicitor W. Walter Wilkins.

The incident happened when Fleury met up with his former girlfriend Kayla Hayes on October 21, 2017, to discuss the status of their relationship. Fleury got angry when Hayes was clear that she didn’t want to continue dating him.

When he tried to lean in for a kiss, Hayes pulled away, which is when Fleury chomped down on her bottom lip with so much force that part of her lip was amputated. Following the incident, he left the scene, according to the release.

Hayes underwent an unsuccessful procedure in an attempt to have her lip reattached, and now has permanent, serious, scarring and a limited range of motion in her mouth as a result.

Fleury’s attorney said that he intentionally bit Hayes, according to a Facebook post that she wrote. “I had to listen to his attorney say that when he attacked me, it was intentional. Saying that he claimed ‘he was going to leave his mark for me next boyfriend,’” Hayes wrote.

She also recalled the attack — which took place almost a year ago.

“This was the day that a piece of me died…Sitting in a puddle of my own blood with the majority of my lip laying on my leg, my whole mouth on fire, confused and terrified, I didn’t know how I could ever show my face again. At that point, honestly wishing that those very seconds would just be my last- I wanted to give up for good.”

She continued, saying she struggled with the fact of her new reality post surgery: “What I just woke up from was no joke. Never a day in my life will I ever wake up living my ‘normal’ life again,” she said.

Wilkins hopes that her attacker’s sentence sends a serious message about domestic violence.

“This case demonstrates the unique circumstances under which domestic violence occurs, and how quickly these situations can escalate into violence,” he said. “Hopefully this prison sentence will make it clear to both this defendant and other abusers that domestic violence in any fashion will not be tolerated.”