Say What Now? Man Claims Woman Chained by Neck In Dramatic Bodycam Rescue Video ‘Did It To Herself’

A Louisville man has been found guilty for horrific crimes against his girlfriend and the mother of his child — after allegedly claiming she was a willing participant, following a dramatic rescue caught on police bodycam video.

Moises May was found guilty Thursday of all five charges against him, after he was arrested in August 2023 and charged with human trafficking, kidnapping and harassment with physical contact. Per WDRB, a jury recommended a 35-year prison sentence, ahead of his July 2 sentencing.

May was accused of using a machete to chop of the hair of Jonna Wilson, who identified herself as the victim while speaking with local press. She said she was May’s estranged girlfriend and the mother of one of his children. He’s also accused of chaining her by her neck to the floor and forcing her to have sex with other men for money.

Police Testimony

Per local reporting, during the trial, Detective Brittany O’Neil testified that May told police Wilson “did it [to] herself” — claiming that the pair had an agreement where she would chain herself up if she didn’t go to rehab. He also allegedly said cheating was a factor in what he called her decision.

O’Neil also reportedly testified that it “didn’t seem like it was something she did to herself,” when asked how credible his chain claims were.

While O’Neil said Wilson was forced to have sex with other men for money, with jurors reportedly shown video of some of the encounters, the defense allegedly claimed they were consensual.

As for cutting off her hair, O’Neil said May claimed it was done after she “lost a bet” over a game of checkers — before later claiming she told him to cut it after he wouldn’t help her dye it.

The Dramatic Rescue

The rescue of a woman chained by her neck to the floor in a Park Hill home in Louisville, Kentucky was captured by police body cameras and made headlines back in August 2023.

The footage shows officers responding to a call made by neighbors who heard the woman’s cries for help. On the scene, officers saw the victim sobbing for help from a busted-out second-story window. When they attempted to enter the house on the first floor, they found all the doors and windows had been barricaded.

With the help of neighbors, the policemen were able to locate a ladder and climb up to the second floor and crawl through the busted window. They were immediately met by the distraught victim, who they discovered had a large chain, used for dogs, wrapped tightly around her neck with a padlock at her throat.

The woman informed them she did not know where the keys were, but thought the suspect likely had them. “I don’t know, he’s got it on his keys,” the victim said, sobbing. “I tried scissors, I tried everything.”

The officers followed the large chain down to the floor, where they found it bolted to the floorboards. Using a hatchet, one of the officers was able to break the chain from the anchor.

“Thank you so much,” the victim said. Once outside, EMS and local fire rescuers used bolt cutters to break the chain from her neck.

May allegedly abused the mother of his child in the days preceding her being chained to the floor, per his arrest citation. The victim told law enforcement that two days before her rescue, she and May had an argument that then led to a traumatic incident.

She said that May forced her into the bathroom, where he then held her down on the floor and used a machete to chop off large lumps of her hair. The victim accused him of then further abusing her, which law enforcement described as May allegedly having “slapped [her] around before [she] was able to leave.”

Two days later, on August 16, she said she came back to his house to gather some of her things. May, she said, then locked the doors with a bolt only he had the key to, per his arrest citation.

“[He then] forced the victim to take off some of her clothing, stating, ‘You’re gonna get it tonight,’ and ‘I told you the next time you leave and don’t come home, I’d kill you,’ and slapped her causing pain,” police said.

The citation then alleges that May forced the victim upstairs, where he wrapped the chain around the woman’s neck and bolted it to the floor.

The suspect allegedly told the victim that he would kill her and took her phone away from her. He is said to have then left the residence. The victim was able to knock out the second-story window and scream for help.

“As soon as he locked that lock, I knew it was over,” Wilson later told WDRB, who told the ourlet that “every door was screwed shut.” She added, “The fire department couldn’t even knock down the doors. That0’’s how bad they were screwed. Every very window he’s got bolted, every exit — there was no exit in the house.”