Pittsburgh man accused of burning girlfriend with hot iron

A Pittsburgh man who police say attacked his girlfriend with a hot iron, burning her over about 60% of her body, was arrested Thursday morning.

Burton L. Byrd, 55, of Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, is charged with various crimes including aggravated assault, kidnapping, intimidation of witnesses or victims and unlawful restraint.

Pittsburgh police said Byrd was taken into custody around 10 a.m. when he showed up at West Penn Hospital, where his girlfriend is being treated.

Detectives took him to police headquarters to be interviewed.

Police were dispatched to West Penn around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday for a report of domestic violence that occurred Saturday.

A nurse at the hospital told police a woman had burns inflicted by a hot clothes iron. Large patches of skin were removed from the woman’s leg, knee and torso.

The woman told police that Byrd believed she had cheated on him, according to a criminal complaint. He entered her room, told her to strip naked and tied her hands with a shoestring, the complaint said.

Byrd struck her with a leather belt and punched her in the face, the woman told police, according to the complaint. He struck her with the hot iron, demanding that she admit to infidelity, police said the woman told them.

The abuse took place for more than four hours, the woman told police.

Byrd refused to let the woman leave to treat her wounds until Tuesday, court documents said. Byrd threatened to harm the woman’s family unless she told doctors that her injuries resulted from an assault outside the house, according to the complaint.

The woman will be in the hospital for another week to recover from her injuries, police said.