A 26-year-old man from Arizona has received his sentencing for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in the presence of her daughter, leading to internal injuries in what was nearly a “deadly situation.”

Brandon Ramos Valenzuela was sentenced to 8 and 3/4 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised probation for the attack on his ex-girlfriend, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced this week.

The defendant pleaded guilty in August to counts of aggravated assault with serious physical injury and child abuse, both domestic violence offenses.

The brutal assault occurred in October 2023, and it was not just the mother that Valenzuela hurt.

The 11-year-old child reported waking up to Valenzuela “yelling at her mom.” When she attempted to get help, “the defendant covered her face, making it difficult for her to breathe.” The girl eventually freed herself from Valenzuela’s grasp, ran away, and called 911.

Authorities recalled arriving to the home near the intersection of Van Buren Street and Dysart Road in Avondale, Arizona, to a gruesome sight.

“When officers arrived, the child’s mother was found lying in a pool of blood with lacerations on her head and facial bruising,” the attorney’s office stated. The woman was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for a “skull fracture and several brain bleeds.”

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell showered praise on the child for her bravery in a scary circumstance.

“This 11-year-old demonstrated remarkable bravery during what could easily have escalated into a deadly situation,” Mitchell stated. “Even a single instance of domestic violence is one too many. As prosecutors, we have the duty to defend those who cannot do so themselves and to unequivocally state that abuse has no place in our communities—ever.”

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.