Alleged Abuser Of Man Says She’s Victim Defendant Claims Roommate’s Companion Became Belligerent, Abusive When He Drank

A Spokane woman accused of torturing her friend’s longtime boyfriend claims she’s the real victim.

The man Theresa Spickler-Bowe allegedly raped and repeatedly beat is a lying, abusive alcoholic, she told a Spokane County Superior Court jury Wednesday.

The 42-year-old man beat her so severely in December she couldn’t move her neck for three days, Spickler-Bowe said.

The man’s companion, Eunice Eickhoff, pleaded guilty earlier this month to participating in the abuse. She has identified Spickler-Bowe as the instigator.

The man’s testimony Monday corroborated Eickhoff’s account of the four-month torture spree.

“I would never hurt (the man),” said Spickler-Bowe, crying and biting her lower lip. “We had a unique friendship.”

Spickler-Bowe, 36, described Eickhoff as an abusive mate who repeatedly tried to dump the victim, her companion of 12 years. Eickhoff attempted to leave the man in New Jersey, but he followed Eickhoff to Spokane in September.

Once here, Eickhoff and the man moved into an east Spokane apartment with Spickler-Bowe. The couple fought often, frequently hitting each other, Spickler-Bowe said.

The man became “ugly” when he drank, which was often, she said.

In his testimony Monday, the man said he shunned alcohol.

Spickler-Bowe said she witnessed little of the violence that left the man with cuts and bruises over 60 percent of his body. A doctor testified earlier that the man had been raped, and only car accident victims arrived at the Deaconess Medical Center emergency room in worse shape.

“I never saw that,” Spickler-Bowe repeatedly told the jury, as prosecutors listed a series of alleged beatings. “I don’t recall.”

The only abuse she remembered was Eickhoff burning the man.

Spickler-Bowe said she walked in from grocery shopping in early January to find Eickhoff holding a red-hot spatula to the man’s chest and buttocks.

“I was dumbfounded,” she said. “I couldn’t believe she didn’t care that she burned that boy.” She considered calling police, but didn’t.

Police arrived about a week later - after they found the man emaciated and battered.

Closing statements in the rape and assault trial are expected today.

If convicted, Spickler-Bowe faces at least 10 years in prison. Eickhoff was sentenced to an exceptional term of 12-1/2 years.

, DataTimes