The former mixed martial arts fighter Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver, known more commonly as War Machine, has been sentenced to life in prison after he kidnapped, sexually assaulted and beat his ex-girlfriend in 2014.
Koppenhaver was convicted by a Las Vegas jury in March of 29 felonies after he attacked Christy Mack and her male friend Corey Thomas. He had found Mack and Thomas together in her bedroom. At sentencing Mack told District Judge Elissa Cadish that she fears Koppenhaver will kill her if he is released. “I don’t know if my life will feel complete in 12 years or 30 years and neither do you, but I do know when he gets out he will kill me,” Mack said. She suffered a lacerated liver, broken rib and lost two teeth during the assault.
Koppenhaver, 35, will be eligible for parole when he is 71. “I should have killed myself by now. There’s no reason right now that I shouldn’t be in the dirt right now laying next to Aaron Hernandez. That’s 100% true,” Koppenhaver said in his statement. Hernandez, the former NFL star, killed himself in prison in April while serving a life sentence for murder.
Koppenhaver said anxiety and depression were to blame for his behavior, but claims he has changed since finding God in prison. “Not a day goes by that I don’t seriously regret all those things that I did. I was a very, very lost, very empty person,” Koppenhaver added in his statement. “And to top it off, something’s not right with my head. Plain and simple. I’ve known that a long time and I’ve hated it. I’ve hated the way that I think. I’ve hated my impulses. Half the time, I don’t know why I do some the things I do. And some of the times I do things and I don’t even feel like I did them until it’s already done.”
Koppenhaver fought in 19 MMA fights, winning 14. He also worked as a pornographic actor.
