A Gillette man who reportedly grew angry when his girlfriend wouldn’t “submit” to him is accused of raising a knife to her and threatening to “kill you and the kids, and all of your extended family.”
Eduard Florea was bound over to Campbell County District Court on Monday on a felony charge of aggravated assault, which could land him up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
He allegedly grew angrier and angrier with his girlfriend as they argued Saturday when he repeatedly demanded she “submit” to him and she refused, according to an affidavit of probable cause written by Gillette Police Officer Ethan Hayes.
Florea went to his girlfriend’s apartment that morning but became agitated when she asked him for money to help pay rent for the place she and their shared daughter live in, the affidavit says.
The girlfriend “stated during this argument, Eduard repeatedly told her she needed to ‘submit’ to him if he was going to continue helping her financially,” Hayes wrote. “When (the woman) did not agree to submit, Eduard grew increasingly angry.”
At one point, she left the house and returned about an hour later, but the argument continued. Then he left for another hour to go to a local store, but that also didn’t defuse the situation.
“When Eduard returned from Walmart, the argument again ensued,” the affidavit says. “This time, Eduard grew increasingly angry, and (the woman) stated she did not want to have Eduard share the apartment with her any longer and he needed to go back to his apartment.”
Another Level
That’s when the confrontation took on another level, the affidavit says.
Florea repeatedly called his girlfriend “every dirty name in the book,” then retrieved a knife with a blade about 6 inches long, Hayes wrote.
He then allegedly threatened to kill the woman while their teen daughter was behind her.
“After grabbing the knife, Eduard got to within 3 feet of (the woman), while their 13-year-old daughter was directly behind (her mother) crying,” the affidavit says.
“Eduard raised the knife over his head, with the blade pointing toward (his girlfriend),” Hayes continues. “Eduard stated, ‘I will kill you and the kids, and all of your extended family.”
Those threats continued for about six minutes until the daughter was able to get the knife from him and hide it, the affidavit says.
The woman told investigators that she remained calm during the altercation because she has had practice trying to weather Florea’s temper.
“When she replies in an aggressive manner, she gets hit, slapped, or choked,” Hays wrote in the affidavit. The woman “told me she was tired of getting treated this way.”
Florea eventually calmed down, gathered his belongings and left.
‘Every Dirty Name In The Book’
For his part, Florea denies the allegation he made threats while brandishing a knife, the affidavit says.
At least to a point.
When asked directly if he threatened the woman and their daughter in the manner they described, Hayes reports Florea’s answer was carefully constructed.
“Eduard was asked a very direct question if he threatened (the woman) and the kids. Eduard replied, ‘I would never threaten my kids,’” the affidavit says.
He admitted calling his girlfriend “every dirty name in the book” and yelling at her. He also said he told her to “submit” about “100 times,” Hayes wrote.
Pressed again about threatening with the knife, Florea gave the same guarded answer.
“Eduard denied ever raising it above his head and multiple times told officers, ‘I would never threaten to kill my kids,’” the affidavit says. “Eduard never said that he would never threaten to kill (the woman), just that he would never threaten to kill his own children.”
The man also said that his threats were actually explanations of things he wasn’t going to do to his girlfriend, the affidavit says.
“Eduard also stated, ‘I told her if I was some crazy Islamist, I would probably smash her and cut her up from the disrespect she gives me,’” Hayes wrote. He “admitted making threatening statements; however, stated he said it in a way of, ‘If I were any other guy’ this is what I would do to you.”
Florea was arrested Sunday and had his first appearance in Campbell County Circuit Court on Monday.
A preliminary hearing to determine if there’s enough evidence to continue with a felony prosecution is set for Monday.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
