Man Sentenced in Athens for Violent Assaults

ATHENS � State District Judge Carter Tarrance of Athens sentenced a man Monday to 20 years in prison for severely beating his wife and, in a separate incident, shoving feces down her throat. According to KETK, District Attorney Scott McKee says Marc Jimson Woodcock, 45, of Waxahachie, will serve the maximum sentence for the attack on Karen Woodcock. McKee said in July 2013, the suspect pleaded guilty and chose to have the court punish him. He was indicted the following year.

In the incident, police were sent to Marc Woodcock’s home after his wife showed up at a neighbor’s house asking for help. When the neighbor opened the door, the victim was “badly beaten, bleeding and covered in bruises,” according to reports. She had also been strangled. She was taken to a local hospital and released later that night. During the punishment hearing, the court heard testimony that while out on bond for attacking his wife, the suspect assaulted his wife again in Ellis County, hitting her in the face and shoving dog feces down her throat.