Ex-Felon To Serve 20 Years For Choking Girlfriend, Injuring Child

MARIETTA, GA -- A four-time felon will return to prison after being convicted of choking his girlfriend. Jurors deliberated about an hour Thursday afternoon before convicting Raheem Littlejohn, 37, of aggravated assault and cruelty to children in the second degree.

Late on the evening of last Dec. 30, during an argument, Littlejohn grabbed the victim by the neck and choked her until she couldn’t breathe. The woman testified that she believed she was going to die and managed to hit Littlejohn in the head with a hammer and break free. She ran to a neighbor’s apartment for help, where Littlejohn attacked her again as she was holding her small child. The child was dropped and injured as a result.

“This defendant is a repeat abuser of women and lacks regard for the trauma his abuse has inflicted on innocent women. We are glad the jury understood the complexities of domestic violence and are hopeful that the resolution of this case can provide the victim with both the courage and closure she needs to move forward,” said ADA Courtney Veal, who prosecuted the case with ADA Lindsay Raynor.

On the stand, Littlejohn told jurors in rambling commentary – despite repeated admonitions to answer the question being asked -- that the victim was lying, as was the neighbor who witnessed part of the attack. He also claimed other women who accused him of domestic violence in the past were also lying, and said he had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence charges in the past only to put the charges behind him.

Shortly after the verdict, Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann Harris ordered Littlejohn to serve 20 years in prison as a recidivist. His prior felony convictions in two counties include conspiracy to commit armed robbery, robbery, drug possession and criminal damage to property.

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