Cape man faces charges of victim tampering

A 28-year-old Cape Girardeau man, charged with assaulting a woman, made phone calls to the victim in an effort to convince her to tell authorities “none of that ever happened,” police said.

Darius Isiah Lamar Love, 822 Good Hope St., initially faced charges including domestic assault over a May 18 incident.

He was accused of holding Irish McElmurry hostage at her residence, which he shared. According to a probable-cause statement, he threatened to stab her with a knife.

Love “injured her in the head with his hands and the handle-end of a knife,” according to the statement.

He was arrested at the residence. McElmurry was subpoenaed to testify at a preliminary hearing.

Cape Girardeau police officer Gabe Yoder said in a probable-cause statement he listened to phone calls made by Love from jail. According to the statement, Love called McElmurry several times from May 22 through Thursday and told her to testify the charges ‘were a lie.’”

McElmurry “admitted” Love had called her, Yoder said.

Love also phoned his mother in en effort to get her to tell McElmurry to go to the police station and report “the assault never happened,” according to the statement.

Love also “tells his mother to tell Ms. McElmurry that ‘all she gotta do is don’t even come to court,’” Yoder wrote.

Love now faces two felony counts of tampering with a victim as well as felonies of first-degree kidnapping, domestic assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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