Police say 32-year-old Chris Birchmier beat and strangled his girlfriend in his home Tuesday. They say Birchmier then commanded his pit bull named "Butter" to attack the woman too.
Police say this wasn't the first they had been to Birchmier's home for domestic violence complaints.
Deb Stanaland of the YWCA's Battered Women's Shelter says victims should get help before it's too late.
"Seventy-five percent of domestic violence homicides in Oklahoma occur after the female leaves or at least he perceives she's leaving," she said.
Birchmier remains in the Oklahoma County Jail. He could be formally charged with as many as five felonies.
(KWTV - Nov 16, 2012)
