Corey Thomas, one of the victims in the War Machine attempted murder case, appeared on “Primetime Justice With Ashleigh Banfield” on HLN onThursday to discuss what happened the night of the alleged attack, including why he left victim Christy Mackinday‘s home without calling the police after War Machine — a professional mixed martial arts fighter — let him go.
According to prosecutors, War Machine entered Mackinday’s home, found Thomas in bed with her, and attacked him with punches and putting him in a choke hold. He then let Thomas go, on the condition that he wouldn’t call the police. War Machine, who legally changed his name from Jonathan Koppenhaver, is accused of then brutally attacking and sexually assaulting Mackinday. War Machine is facing 34 charges, and the jury is currently deliberating after a trial that lasted nearly two weeks.
Thomas said that he wasn’t aware of past violence between War Machine and Mackinday, so he didn’t believe that she was in physical danger when he left her home. At the time, he thought that War Machine just attacked him for being with her. “Two guys fight, that’s the end of it,” Thomas thought, not thinking that War Machine might then turn his attention to Mackinday.
When War Machine let Thomas go, he threatened to have his Navy SEAL friends go after him if he alerted authorities. Thomas said that War Machine was talking to Mackinday as if the two of them were still together. He figured that his fight with War Machine was over, and he didn’t want to get in the middle of what appeared to be a complicated situation between War Machine and Mackinday. “If she’s your girl, then you guys obviously have some serious issues to work out,” he thought about them, so he thought the best thing to do was get out of there.
Thomas claimed he had no idea that War Machine would then attack Mackinday once he left. Despite having dated Mackinday for two months, Thomas said that she kept any past abuse a secret from him. Thomas admitted that once he saw Mackinday’s injuries when they were both in the hospital, however, he felt blame. “When I saw her face, I couldn’t believe it,” he said, adding that if he knew that this would have happened to her, “this could have been completely avoided.”
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