ACWORTH — The 911 caller thought the woman might have stabbed the man. When Cherokee County deputies arrived at the apartment near Bells Ferry Road, they found the opposite.
The man was uninjured. The woman was not.
On May 8, Superior Court Judge Shannon Wallace sentenced Victor Manuel Duarte Arias, 31, of the Acworth area of Cherokee County, to 30 years in prison — with 20 years to serve — after he pleaded guilty to 12 charges stemming from what prosecutors described as a pattern of escalating domestic violence.
The charges included kidnapping, four counts of family violence aggravated assault, two counts of family violence aggravated battery, three counts of false imprisonment, family violence battery, and cruelty to children in the third degree.
The Cherokee Sheriff’s Office opened its investigation Aug. 11, 2025, after a neighbor called 911 to report a physical altercation between a man and woman who shared an apartment. What deputies found when they arrived told a more complete story.
The woman told deputies that over three days, Duarte Arias had strangled her, bitten her, punched her, and physically forced her back inside the apartment when she tried to leave. Her injuries included bite marks to her forehead, bruised gums, a fractured right foot, and subconjunctival hemorrhages in her eyes — bleeding consistent with strangulation. Doctors also noted petechiae and enlarged vessels in her mouth, additional signs of strangulation.
She was taken to the hospital. Detectives ordered a strangulation assessment and arranged forensic interviews with the children in the home. One child was present during the assault. Another had witnessed prior acts of domestic violence.
“When the victim decided to end the relationship over the defendant’s repeated infidelity, he used violence in an attempt to intimidate and force her to stay in the relationship,” said Assistant District Attorney Ashley Snow, of the Domestic Violence Unit, who prosecuted the case.
Duarte Arias entered a non-negotiated guilty plea, meaning the sentence was determined entirely by the judge. In addition to the 20 years to serve, Judge Wallace ordered him to pay restitution and have no contact with the named victims.
District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway pointed specifically to the strangulation as cause for concern. “Acts of strangulation are among the strongest indicators that domestic violence may become lethal,” she said. “This sentence holds the defendant accountable for his actions, protects the victim from further harm, and sends a clear message that this type of violence will not be tolerated.”
According to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, strangulation is one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence, and the odds of homicide increase substantially for victims who have been previously strangled.
Anyone impacted by domestic violence can contact the Cherokee Family Violence Center at CFVC.org or by calling its 24/7 crisis hotline at (770) 479-1703. In an emergency, call 911.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
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