Man Jailed After Allegedly Trying to Exorcise 'the Devil' Out of His 80-Year-Old Girlfriend

Nothing says "I love you" like imprisoning your 80-year-old girlfriend for two days to perform an exorcism against her will. And that's exactly what 54-year-old David Edward Benes is accused of doing in Holiday, Fla., CBS Tampa reported.

According to an affidavit obtained by the Smoking Gun, the woman, who has been in a relationship with Benes for the past three years, told authorities that the two clashed earlier this week.

She told police her boyfriend was trying to "exorcise her and get the devil out of her" against her will. To ensure that she remained in their shared home, Benes allegedly took the batteries out of all phones, disarmed the garage door opener and snatched her car keys, among other measures, to stymie any escape plans.

After she fell asleep, the document states that Benes again tried to exorcise her. These events are described in a portion of the report below:

Image source: The Smoking Gun

When police arrived at the home, it appeared as though Benes was inebriated and allegedly told them that he was too drunk to remember what had happened. Later, he said that the woman had also hit him. Authorities found bruises and scratches on her arms.

Benes was arrested on multiple charges including battery on a person 65 years or older, the Smoking Gun noted. He is currently being held on $20,000 bond.

David Edward Benes has been accused of attacking his 80-year-old girlfriend. (Image source: Pasco, Fla. Sheriff’s Office)

The suspect has apparently had other brushes with the law-- one apparently as recent as last month. The Daily Mail provides more about just how deep this apparent criminal history goes:

A MailOnline search of criminal records yielded a lengthy, violent history dating back to 1992 under the name David Edward Benes. After his first battery charge was abandoned that year, Mr Benes was twice convicted of battery in 1994 and found guilty of DUI in 1997.

Mr Benes was also twice found guilty of violating an order of protection, once in 2012 and again earlier this month. He was also found guilty in 1998 of driving with an open container of alcohol, records showed.

Whether the octogenarian was actually possessed -- well, we'll leave that up to you to decide.

(H/T: CBS Tampa)

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