Trial of Marine Gunnery Sgt. Charged With Torture, Domestic Violence Scheduled to Conclude

The weeks-long criminal trial of a Marine gunnery sergeant charged with torture, domestic violence and dissuading a witness is nearing an end.

Closing arguments for and against Anthony Eugene Rollins, 34, are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Southwest Justice Center near Murrieta. Proceedings before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Michael Rushton began Dec. 16.

The charges against Rollins stem from a Dec. 1, 2012 reported incident reported to Murrieta police. The alleged victim in the case—Rollins' girlfriend of four years—was admitted to a hospital with head trauma that included a skull fracture and bleeding to her brain. She had no memory of how she received her injuries until she discovered a missed call and a voicemail on her phone weeks later.

She came forward to Murrieta police with the one minute, 26 second voicemail recorded the night she was allegedly beaten, according to a copy of a search warrant.  

"In the voicemail, the victim heard herself crying and screaming in pain as well as the defendant in this case telling her she was never going to leave and also sounds like something being repeatedly hit," according to a released statement from John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's office.

Rollins is charged with one count of torture, two counts of domestic violence, and one count of dissuading a witness. Each domestic violence count also has an enhancement attached of causing great bodily injury in a domestic violence crime, Hall said.

If convicted as currently charged, Rollins faces a potential life sentence.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Tim Cross of the DA’s Domestic Violence Unit.