Pacific Grove man found guilty of multiple felony domestic violence charges

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (KION) A jury has found a Pacific Grove man guilty of four felony domestic violence-related charges, including inflicting corporal injury on a person with whom he had a dating relationship, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and communicating a criminal threat, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

The DA's Office said the victim was staying with her ex-boyfriend, 30-year-old David Michael Burge, at an inn in October 2020 when he got angry with her for refusing to warm up a frozen muffin for him. Investigators said he smashed the muffin in her face and punched her in the face.

Afterwards, she called her mother to tell her what happened, and the DA's Office said Burge told her that if she called the police, he would kill her. The victim's mother overheard the threat. Investigators said Burge also threatened that if he went to jail, he would return and kill her.

Two days later, the DA's Office said the victim woke up and found Burge angry because she took a few bites of a cheeseburger he was saving for himself. They said he tried to pull her out of bed to go buy him a cheeseburger, and when she got out of bed, she noticed that he had taken and hidden her tablet.

Investigators said Burge demanded money from the victim for a cheeseburger and punched her in the face, knocking off her glasses. While she was on the ground looking for them, the DA's Office said he knelt down and punched her in the face again. After that, they said he threw her on the bed three times and strangled her each time. She lost consciousness the first two times because she was unable to breathe.

The DA's Office said the punches left visible injuries and swelling, and the strangulation caused a visible injury on her neck.

Burge is set to be sentenced in March. He faces a sentence of up to six years in prison.