Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Zanesville Man Sentenced to 58 Years for Brutal Domestic Violence Attack
(ZANESVILLE, Ohio) — A 58-year-old Zanesville man will spend decades in prison after kidnapping a woman, preventing her from escaping, and repeatedly attacking her during an ordeal captured on an 8-hour and 24-minute recording.
David Formentini pleaded guilty to every count filed against him, including multiple counts of Domestic Violence, Strangulation, Kidnapping, and Felonious Assault.
Assistant Prosecutor John Litle asked Muskingum County Common Pleas Court Judge Gerald Anderson to impose a minimum sentence of 40 years.
Judge Anderson imposed a minimum prison sentence of 58 years.
More Than Eight Hours of Violence
The case began June 21 when Muskingum County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report that Formentini had threatened to kill the victim and her dog.
Deputies found the victim outside the residence with multiple visible injuries and dried blood on her face.
Formentini was found inside with a hammer and wooden table leg nearby.
The evidence revealed that the violence had continued for hours.
Formentini attacked the victim on a roadway, physically dragged her into a house and away from potential help, took her car keys and phone to prevent her escape, confined her on a couch, and repeatedly assaulted her.
The attack involved not only Formentini's hands, but objects including a hammer and wooden table leg.
Investigators obtained an 8-hour and 24-minute recording documenting the prolonged ordeal.
A Decades-Long History
At sentencing, Judge Anderson also learned that the Muskingum County case was far from Formentini's first involvement with allegations of violence against women.
Over approximately 35 years, Formentini had been charged in 16 separate cases in Illinois involving various assaults, mostly against women.
During that same general period, he had also been charged on seven separate occasions in North Carolina with assaulting women.
Litle told the court that the attack should not be viewed as one isolated event, but as a series of escalating violent assaults, each deserving punishment.
“Judge Anderson did what no judge encountering Mr. Formentini has done in the past,” Litle said. “He recognized the danger Formentini posed, and the defendant proved him right.”
58 Years — Then One Final Threat
Formentini's conduct immediately after sentencing reinforced the danger described in court.
After Judge Anderson imposed the 58-year minimum sentence, Formentini was taken from the courtroom.
In the hallway, he screamed that he “should have just killed” the victim.
Formentini is 58 years old.
His minimum prison sentence is 58 years.
He will not have another opportunity to abuse a woman outside prison.
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