Ex-husband charged in woman’s beating

HOT SPRINGS — The ex-husband of a woman who was beaten so severely police said she was unrecognizable has been arrested on a felony battery charge.

Mason Zeigler, 42, of Hot Springs, was charged with second-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Hot Springs police who responded to a battery call at the apartment complex around 1:30 a.m. Oct. 21 heard a woman moaning upstairs after entering the lobby.

Officers reported finding Zeigler in a hallway near the entry door leaning over his ex-wife, who was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. She was reportedly mumbling incoherently.

Zeigler told officers she “needed an ambulance” and he had “messed up,” stating “I beat her,” the affidavit said. His hands were covered in blood, and it was splattered across his clothing, face and shoes.

The woman was barely able to sit on the floor without falling over and had large amounts of blood coming from both nostrils, her mouth and both sides of her head, according to the affidavit. It appeared that she was having difficulty breathing and remaining conscious, the affidavit said.

Her eyes were almost swollen shut, and she had large amounts of bruising already forming around her face, according to the affidavit. She appeared to have fractures and breaks around her nose and eyes, as well, the affidavit said.

She was “unrecognizable when compared to her driver’s license photograph,” the affidavit said.

Zeigler told police they had an argument that turned physical, the affidavit said. He began punching her and then kneed her and kicked her in the face numerous times with his steel-toed boot, the affidavit said.

He told officers she has a pacemaker and he most likely struck it during the confrontation, admitting “he knew this could have caused her death,” the affidavit said. He admitted he choked her to restrict her airflow, but not to the point where she lost consciousness, the affidavit said. He stated that, after the attack, he had to prevent her from choking on her tongue because she began having seizures, according to the affidavit.

Zeigler said the attack lasted about 30 minutes, and he beat her until he thought she wouldn’t “cheat on him again,” the affidavit said.