Senate candidate’s wife testifies about abuse, being choked

The estranged wife of Sean Parnell, the Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, testified under oath Monday that she endured years of rage and abuse from him, including being choked until she had to bite him, a newspaper reported.

Laurie Parnell’s testimony came during divorce and custody proceedings in Butler County court over the custody of their three children, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

At one point, Laurie Parnell testified, “he tried to choke me out on a couch and I literally had to bite him” to get free. “He was strangling me,” she said, according to the Inquirer.

Sean Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.

In a statement released by his campaign, Sean Parnell disputed her claims.

“Let me empathically state: I have never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children,” the statement said. “What happened today in court was not justice, nor did it have any basis in fact or truth. Next week, I’ll have an opportunity to present the truth to the court and I look forward to that opportunity.”

The hearing is to resume in a week.