Richfield Man Charged With Strangling Woman, Tossing Her Into Fire Pit

A Richfield man has been charged with strangling a Richfield woman, then throwing her off a deck into a backyard fire pit.

Andrew Jerome Bigbee, 46, is charged with domestic assault by strangulation, a felony with a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The victim came to Richfield Police Safety on Dec. 29 and reported the assault, which took place on Dec. 28, according to the criminal complaint.

The victim said Bigbee, her boyfriend, had been emotionally abusive throughout their relationship, but his abuse had recently turned physical. She said he became angry Dec. 28 when she told him that she intended to report his abuse to authorities.

According to the report, the woman said Bigbee threw her to the ground and put his knees on her shoulders so she couldn’t move, then put his hands on her neck and applied pressure. She said she was unable to breathe for 5 to 10 seconds.

When Bigbee released the victim’s neck, he picked her up off the ground, dragged her to the back of the garage and threw her off the deck into a fire pit in the backyard, according to the complaint. It doesn't appear that the fire pit had any flames burning at the time of the incident.

After Bigbee left for work, the victim said, she called her sister and arranged to have her father pick her up, along with her children. She was treated at a hospital on Dec. 29 and was diagnosed with bruising on her neck and a sprained wrist.

Bigbee has been released from custody on a $40,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Feb. 6 in Hennepin County District Court.