Doctor says War Machine’s brain injury could cause animalistic behavior

By DAVID FERRARA LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

War Machine, the former mixed martial arts fighter on trial in connection with an attack on his then-girlfriend and another man, suffers from brain abnormalities that could cause animalistic behavior, a brain doctor testified Wednesday.

Dr. Steven Holper told jurors that the 35-year-old defendant, also known as Jonathan Koppenhaver, had a frontal lobe lesion on his brain that could cause “hyper-sexual” and “very aggressive” behavior.

He said repetitive blows to the head, without time for the brain to heal from previous injuries, could compound trauma to the brain.

Holper reviewed reports from an MRI performed on Koppenhaver but never met with the defendant.

“Everything I say is in general,” Holper said. “It doesn’t mean specifically him.”

Kopenhaver faces 34 counts, including kidnapping, sexual assault and attempted murder, in connection with an August 2014 attack on Christine Mackinday and Corey Thomas, who was in her home at the time.

Mackinday and Thomas testified that they were asleep in her home when Koppenhaver burst in and beat them.

Mackinday, a former adult film actress who used the stage name Christy Mack, spent two days last week testifying about her life with Koppenhaver, the repeated abuse she endured and the hourslong attack that led to his Aug. 15, 2014, arrest. He has been in jail since.


 

Testimony for both the defense and prosecution wrapped up Wednesday, without Koppenhaver taking the stand. Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday morning.

If convicted, Koppenhaver faces life behind bars.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.

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