A client's safety is something thatdivorce attorneys in Pasadena take very seriously. In cases involving an unstable ex, great caution is taken to ensure the safety of everyone in the courtroom. But sometimes people just snap. Paul Henry Gonzalez Jr., a 28-year-old ex-Marine, was arrested this week for brutally beating his estranged wife in front of a judge during the middle of divorce hearing in Florida.
It took a stun gun and several court officers to subdue Gonzalez after he choked Catherine Ann Scott-Gonzalez while hitting her face.
"He was punching with a true vengeance," Scott-Gonzalez's attorney said. "It was vicious."
Scott-Gonzalez was rushed to the emergency room with a broken nose, broken bones in her face, and a torn lip, according to her boyfriend, Brennan Worsencroft. Reportedly, Mr. Gonzalez flew into a rage because he was ordered to pay child support. Jude Ronald Rothschild ordered Gonzales to pay child support and set visitation rights for the couple's 1-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.
Witnesses say Gonzales left the judge's chambers but returned and began screaming at his wife and the judge. Gonzales then began violently punching his wife while he strangled her. New police reports note that Scott-Gonzalez's attorney jumped in and held Gonzales in a bear hug until authorities arrived. When the police did arrive, Gonzales fought them off until his rampage was ended by shots from a stun gun.
As Gonzalez was pulled out of the chambers by police, his ex-wife had collapsed in a pool of blood near the judge's chair.
"It was surreal," Scott-Gonzalez's attorney said. "To see that violence play out in a judge's chambers is somewhat surreal."
Catherine Scott-Gonzalez says she had tried to get a restraining order against her ex but couldn't persuade the court to give her one. Paul Gonzalez is currently jailed on a felony battery charge with a $1 million bond.