Estranged wife of former pro soccer player captured in disturbing video talks exclusively to FOX 26
HOUSTON - Tens of thousands have seen the video on social media, it's violent and difficult to watch.
The woman asked that we not show her face or say her name. We'll call her Mary.
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This is not the first time 30-year-old Jorginho Orlando James, a former pro soccer, has been charged with assaulting a family member. He got his first felony charge last month.
"He put a belt around my neck, and he strangled me," Mary said. "He kept me in the room for about an hour, two hours. He put the belt around my neck a second time and this time it was longer."
Mary called 911.
James was free from jail on bond two days after his arrest.
According to court records, James was abiding by a protective order and his bond conditions. But that apparently changed on August 30.
Mary says James was following her while taking her 2-year-old to day care.
"As soon as I parked, he jumped into my back seat," she said. "I got out of the car. I went inside my daughters' daycare, and I called 911. While I'm still on the phone with them, that is when he started hitting me."
"He punched me eight times," Mary said. "I feel like he wouldn't have stopped if I wouldn't have fallen. He already had his arm ready to go a ninth time."
Two weeks have passed, and she still has a big black bruise and swollen face. One of her fingers is broken.
"I can't use my right hand," she said.
Surprisingly, the second attack is a misdemeanor. But James got a second felony charge for violating a protective order or bond condition.
"I was 100% sure that he wasn't going to be able to come out this time," Mary said.
Even though the DA's Office filed a motion to deny bond, it was set at $20,000 in the 174th District Court.
"I hope he watches this or somebody he knows watches this, and he realizes that he hurt our daughter more than he hurt me," Mary said. "She's been screaming and crying in her sleep. I just need him to stay away and focus on himself and getting better so he can be a father to our daughter in the future if he gets a chance."
We called James to see if he wanted to respond. He said, "this is not the right time for me to explain anything."