A mother has urged people to be more careful when searching for roommates on Craigslist after her daughter was brutally beaten by a man who had moved in only six days earlier, according to Florida's Local 10 News. Danielle Jones, 23, has been left in a coma after being attacked by Byron Mitchell in their shared home in downtown Miami.
Jones had initially put up the advertisement in order to be able to live closer to her place of work and soon received a response from Mitchell, a 35-year-old man who claims on Facebook to be a health and fitness business owner, according to Local 10 News. Mitchell reportedly attacked Jones in the early hours of Valentine's Day, covering her in slashes and bruises and leaving her comatose, according the Miami Herald. Jones has not woken up since the attack.
Mitchell has entered a written not guilty plea for the attack, which he claims was self-defense after Jones approached him with a knife, according to the Associated Press. He is currently held on attempted murder charges, with Miami Police spokesperson Lt. Freddie Cruz telling the Miami Herald that police cannot give more information because of "conflicting statements" from the two involved parties.
"I'm still in shock, I can't comprehend that someone can do this to someone, mutilate them in such a way and try to kill them," Jones' mother Aimee Nikolove said, according to NBC Miami. Nikolove has told others to be more careful after what has happened to her daughter and suggested that Craigslist should implement some kind of background check for its users.
A GoFundMe account has been set up in Jones' honor by her cousin, telling contributors that "if and when she wakes, she will need extensive care and rehabilitation." At the time of writing, more than half of their $50,000 goal has been raised for Jones' medical bills.
