Rock Hill woman ‘played opossum’ in domestic attack. Man charged, police say
A Rock Hill woman told police she “played opossum” to survive a beating and strangling attack, police said.
The accused attacker, who police say is her boyfriend, is now charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, said Lt. William Rivera of the Rock Hill Police Department.
James Russell Rollins, 50, was found and arrested Tuesday by officers with the police department’s violent crime unit, Rivera said.
The attack happened Sunday at the victim’s Rock Hill home, according to a police department incident report. Officers found the victim with scratches and marks on her neck and forehead, the report stated.
“She eventually played opossum in an attempt to stop the assault,” the report stated.
The victim’s injuries were photographed and the victim received medical treatment, police said.
Rollins had pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic violence on January 27 from a November arrest and was sentenced to 90 days in jail or a $100 fine, court records show.
Rollins now could face as much as 80 years in a South Carolina prison if convicted of all three charges from his arrest this week, state law shows. Kidnapping and attempted murder each carry potential sentences of 30 years for a conviction. Domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature has a maximum 20-year sentence for a conviction.
He remains in the York County jail without bond after a judge denied bail in his first court appearance, according to court records.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 2:58 PM.
