A second woman testified Tuesday that she endured three days of abuse at the hands of a Minersville man who is also facing similar charges in a separate case.
This second victim took the stand at District Court in Port Carbon, saying her relationship ended with Dakota Zakashefski on Sept. 29 when he viciously attacked her.
She testified that on the morning of the 29th, Zakashefski, 23, came into the bedroom and pulled her out of bed. He allegedly held her phone up to her face and asked in a frightening manner, “What’s this?”
Zakashefski had allegedly found what she described as “an indecent photo” of herself that she sent to someone else.
The victim said Zakashefski was “extremely angry and very violent” when he confronted her over the photo.
“He wasn’t human,” she said “He scared the crap out of me. He looked possessed.”
Zakashefski allegedly repeatedly grabbed the woman’s face and squeezed. The victim testified that he squeezed so hard she thought her molars were going to break.
“He just kept grabbing me,” she said.
Zakashefski also reportedly held the victim down on the bed, placed his hands around her neck and squeezed.
The victim said his attack continued for about a half hour that morning but it was the end of three days of abuse at Zakashefski’s hands, she said. She also testified that this attack occurred with her 2-year-old daughter present.
“It might not have lasted long but it feels like it lasted hours,” she said on the stand. “I thought he was going to kill me.”
Eventually, a neighbor in the apartment building where Zakashefski rented came to the door and interrupted the attack.
The victim testified that the neighbor came in and saw him kicking her. Another neighbor ran and called police, she said.
Minersville Police officer Leo Securda testified at the preliminary hearing and said when he knocked on Zakashefski’s door responding to the call, he opened the door and allegedly said, “I (bleeped) up this time.”
Zakashefski was in District Court last week when another victim of his alleged abuse testified how he attacked her over the course of three hours earlier this year.
The victim in Tuesday’s hearing said Zakashefski had been upset by the break-up with the first victim, a pending eviction, and a news report about that first alleged attack.
Zakashefski remains in Schuylkill County Prison on $25,000 bail in each case after charges in this second case were also held for court. In this second case, he’s facing charges of strangulation, simple assault, and harassment.
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