*THIS STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC INFORMATION THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED*
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WFRV) – The 34-year-old man arrested on June 22 following an alleged axe attack in Fond du Lac appeared in court with charges confirmed and a cash bond was set.
Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney announced that the state requested a $5 million cash bond, which was officially set by Judge Tricia Walker, as Hayden Daffinson of Ripon was charged with the following:
- Count 1: Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide
- Use of a dangerous weapon and assessed for domestic abuse
- Count 2: First-Degree Sexual Assault
- Use of a dangerous weapon and assessed for domestic abuse
- Counts 3-4: Mayhem
- Use of a dangerous weapon and assessed for domestic abuse
- Count 5: First-Degree Reckless Injury
- Use of a dangerous weapon and assessed for domestic abuse
- Count 6: Aggravated Battery
- Use of a dangerous weapon and assessed for domestic abuse
- Count 7: Felony Intimidation of a Victim
- Use of a dangerous weapon and assessed for domestic abuse
- Count 8: False Imprisonment
- Use of a dangerous weapon and assessed for domestic abuse
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According to the complaint, the initial incident occurred on June 22, when officers were dispatched to a home in Fond du Lac on East Merrill Avenue, with a female caller identified as the victim stating she was attacked with an axe by a suspect, Daffinson, who had left the residence.
The axe, according to receipts recovered in a search warrant, revealed that Daffinson reportedly bought the axe about an hour before the 911 call was made, while he was en route to her home.
Officers arrived and reportedly noticed several wounds and extreme amounts of blood splattered around the living room and staircase of the home. The victim had multiple lacerations on her body, and officers applied medical treatment to stop or slow life-threatening bleeding.
According to the complaint, the victim was initially hesitant to tell officers who had attacked her out of fear for her life; however, she later said that her ex-boyfriend Daffinson struck her repeatedly after she broke up with him, and he had been verbally abusive since. Daffinson was reportedly at her home to pick up some of his things.
The victim was airlifted to a hospital and underwent surgery for her injuries for several hours, with future surgeries possible, including a possible amputation of her left pinky finger, which was reportedly almost entirely detached.
Officers spoke with the victim at the hospital and learned that Daffinson sexually assaulted her after the axe attack occurred. The victim added that Daffinson said, “(expletive) it, I’m just going to kill you, because I’m going to prison anyway.”
According to the complaint, a Ring doorbell camera at a witness’s house captured audio and video of Daffinson leaving in a red SUV. The audio is believed to be from the victim, repeatedly yelling at Daffinson to leave and stop.
According to the criminal complaint, a license plate reader and cell phone pings indicated that his vehicle and device were observed heading into Illinois shortly after 5 p.m. on June 22.
Officers found his vehicle later that day, after he attempted to flee police at extreme speeds over 110 miles per hour. When officers in Germantown made contact with the driver, who was verbally identified as Daffinson, they noticed blood on him, which he claimed was from fighting with his girlfriend.
“The allegations in the criminal complaint are unconscionable that someone could do that to another person,” District Attorney Toney said in a release. “We will work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the Victim and the community are protected from this defendant.”
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Daffinson is set for a preliminary hearing on July 31 at 1:30 p.m., with additional charges possible, and he currently faces over 190 years of prison time based on the charges.
Local 5 will provide updates as needed.
ANYBODY EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CAN CONTACT THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE BY TEXTING 88788 OR CALLING 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
