Man who beat wife while kids hid in closet gets 10 years

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SHREVEPORT, La. – A man who admitted beating his estranged wife while their three children hid in a closet has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. 

The oldest child, a 10-year-old boy, called 911 — and the beating was still going on when Shreveport police kicked in a bedroom door on Feb. 24, 2020, according to a news release from the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office. 

Christopher Michael Rapp dmitted to beating his estranged wife while their three children hid in a closet last year. (Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)

Christopher Michael Rapp, 30, of Shreveport was sentenced Monday on two abuse charges. He got two years for abuse with child endangerment and the maximum eight years for domestic abuse battery with serious injury.

Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr. also signed permanent orders forbidding Rapp any contact with his estranged wife and their oldest child. 

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The woman was so afraid of Rapp that she refused to cooperate with prosecutors, who brought the case against her wishes, the news release said.

"Domestic violence threatens our ability to keep families and communities safe," said Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr. "We will continue to do all that we can to protect our victims and hold these abusers accountable."

In a statement to the judge on Monday, Rapp admitted going to his estranged wife's home, locking her in the master bedroom, and beating her.

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The younger children were 8 and 4 years old. The 10-year-old talked to the emergency dispatcher for 14 minutes, saying his father was hurting his mother and had done so before. Police kicked in the bedroom door and arrested Rapp.