Marietta man gets 5 years for domestic abuse

May 6—A Marietta man has been sentenced to five years in prison and 10 on probation after abusing his wife and threatening to chop off her hands in 2018.

Witmos Douglas Madziva, 56, was convicted of aggravated battery and battery Wednesday by a Cobb jury.

On Aug. 21, 2018, Madziva woke his wife by slamming on their bedroom door and yelling at her about their children, according to a news release from the Cobb District Attorney's office.

She tried to hide in their daughter's bedroom. Madziva pounded the door, asking for her car keys. When she opened the door to hand him the keys, he grabbed her by the thumb, twisting it, and tried to pull her into their bedroom. At the same time, according to the release, he "told her that he was going to kill her and chop off her hands."

Madziva's wife, who was not named in the release, pushed him down their stairs and fled the house, barefoot and in her nightgown. She found a FedEx driver, who let her use his phone to call Cobb police.

During the trial, the woman said Madziva had abused her for years. According to the release, Wednesday's conviction is Madziva's second for abusing his wife.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Dave Williamson and Assistant District Attorney Donna Merrell prosecuted the case.

"This woman found the courage to stand up to her husband of more than 30 years and tell the truth about the years of torment she suffered from him. She also worked two jobs to support the family because the Defendant refused to contribute toward expenses, insisting that was her responsibility," Williamson said.

Cobb Superior Court Judge LaTain Kell sentenced Madziva and prohibited him from having contact of any kind with his wife for the duration of his sentence.