Domestic Abuser Sentenced to Eighteen Years for Aggravated Kidnapping

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Domestic Violence Unit obtained an eighteen-year sentence against a defendant who assaulted his fiancée and refused to let her leave her residence.  Geoffrey Ian Paschel, 44, was convicted of Aggravated Kidnapping, Domestic Assault, and Interference with Emergency Calls.  Judge Kyle Hixson ordered Paschel to serve eighteen years in prison without the possibility of parole.

In a two-day trial in October, Assistant District Attorneys Heather Good and Jake Ens explained to the jury that on June 9, 2019, officers with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a domestic disturbance in the Rocky Hill area of west Knoxville.  When they arrived, the victim told officers that she had been assaulted in her home by Paschel.  Paschel grabbed the victim by the neck and slammed her head against the wall several times.  She was also thrown to the ground and dragged.  Paschel took the victim’s cell phone and did not allow her to leave the residence.  The victim fled to a neighbor’s house after Paschel fell asleep.  Officers noted a large, raised bruise on the victim’s forehead along with bruises and abrasions on her back, arms, and the inside of her lip.  She was also diagnosed with a concussion.  At trial, Paschel testified that the victim’s bruises were self-inflicted, but the jury discredited his testimony and found him guilty-as-charged.

At a sentencing hearing today, prosecutors successfully argued that Paschel is a Range II Offender based on convictions out of Blount County for Possession with Intent to Sell a Schedule I Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Sell Schedule II Cocaine and two federal drug trafficking convictions out of the Eastern District of Texas.  Prosecutors also put on proof from this victim and Paschel’s ex-wife about several previous incidents of domestic violence committed by Paschel.  Jail video was also presented in which Paschel asked individuals to take his children to the victim’s house in an attempt to convince her to ask the Court for leniency.

“With the sentence in this case, no other victims will be abused by this offender for a long time,” said DA Charme Allen.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.