'Eyes were nearly swollen shut': Man beat his girlfriend for 9 hours and only stopped when he fell asleep, cops say

Background: The East Bluff Community Center in Peoria, Illinois (Google Maps). Inset: Johnnie Chiaravalle (Peoria Police Department).

A man in Illinois is accused of beating his girlfriend for hours on end, strangling her, and throwing knives at her until he fell asleep.

Johnnie Chiaravalle, 21, has been charged with two counts of aggravated domestic battery, as well as domestic battery and unlawful restraint "for beating his girlfriend over the course of several hours," the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office announced. He will remain in police custody until his trial.

On Monday, officers were called to the East Bluff Community Center in Peoria, a city in central Illinois about 160 miles southwest of Chicago. They had been told that a woman "had been attacked."

Arriving officers "observed that the victim's eyes were nearly swollen shut, she had multiple cuts and lacerations on both legs, and visible bruising all over her face and body," the police department said. The woman told them that "she was attacked by her boyfriend," whom she identified as Chiaravalle.

She also "reported that he would not let her leave their home and beat her over the course of eight to nine hours." He allegedly used his fists to hit her in the face, head, and body, "fracturing her nose."

Chiaravalle additionally "strangled her multiple times and threw knives at her, causing cuts and lacerations to her legs," she told authorities. When he fell asleep, she said she was able to escape their home.

Police arrived at the couple's home and met with the suspect. He reportedly "told officers he had been asleep and claimed someone else must have caused her injuries."

When officers investigated the home, they said they "found clumps of hair" believed to have belonged to the victim, "red blood-like stains on the floor, and multiple steak and folding knives."  Chiaravalle was arrested and booked into jail.

The woman — as of Tuesday — was "hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries," police said.

Chiaravalle is expected in court for an arraignment on May 13.