MMA Fighter Ripped Out Training Partner's...

The charges against mixed martial arts fighter Jarrod Wyatt sound like something from a horror film. The 26-year-old is alleged to have attacked training partner Taylor Powell on and cut out Powell's heart, tongue, and face. Wyatt has been charged aggravated mayhem and torture as well as first degree murder.

According to NY Daily News, officers who responded to the incident early on March 12 stated Powell was unrecognizable and Wyatt was still not psychologically sound. The two fighters had, along with two other friends, drunk hallucinogenic mushroom tea. This caused Powell and Wyatt to believe the world was ending and the devil was present.

Powell and Wyatt began yelling at one another and at some point started to fight. Believing Satan was in Powell, Wyatt attacked him and cut into Powell's chest to remove his still beating heart. He also cut out Powell's tongue and face in order to "silence the devil," Wyatt said. He later cooked all three parts of Powell's body because he thought the devil was still alive. Powell's state of consciousness at the start of the mutilations is unclear.

The police were called after one of the friends who had drunk the tea earlier, returned to see Powell and Wyatt fighting.

Prosecuters will be using the torturous aspects of the crime to argue for first-degree murder. Wyatt's defense attorney is pleading his client had a psychotic break, causing him to lose control of himself and his actions.

Comments: 10

Kerrell Goolsby Jun 1, 2010, 9:40pm UTC

This guy deserves the chair!

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Robin A. Jun 2, 2010, 5:25pm UTC

_damn_ you got to leave those mushrooms alone...

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Chris Morris Jun 2, 2010, 6:03pm UTC

You want to know what's bullshit? The fact that the media makes it a point to mention that he is a Mixed Martial Artist. The headline makes it sound like this all happened during a training session instead of making the announcement early on that the guy was frying like bacon on drugs when he lost his mind. Mixed Martial Arts has absolutely NOTHING to do with this. It seems like whoever wrote this is trying to demonize the sport. As a practitioner of martial arts for over 20 years and a mixed martial artist for 4 years, I can honestly tell you I have never had the urge to disembowel my opponent. Keep MMA out of these stories. It had nothing to do with it.

Ryan Reid Jun 2, 2010, 7:31pm UTC

i agree with your stance on this, while i have no background in MMA of any sort, i dont see how it was relevant except that...well...yeah it wasnt relevant at all...

Kay S. Jun 2, 2010, 9:34pm UTC

When I initially saw the headline of this article, I thought this had taken place during some kind of ultimate fighting match . . .

Stephanie Coats Jun 3, 2010, 2:47am UTC

I understand the concern that including MMA in the title can imply that this incident took place in the ring and that MMA had nothing to do with the incident. Except that the perpetrator was an MMA fighter and the person he is alleged to have killed and tortured was his training partner. In that way, MMA is connected to this story, the same way golf was connected to articles about Tiger Woods' infidelities. While the sport itself was not a factor in the incident, the person(s) involved were recognized athletes connected to the particular sport. Also, this incident has caused reporters and commentators to speculate about whether MMA and other sports like it create violent individuals. Obviously this isn't something I addressed in this article nor is it something I personally believe. MMA fighters aren't violent because their MMA fighters and the notion that they are is farfetched at best. By reporting this story I was in no way attempting to demoralize the sport. If that had been my purpose I would have agreed with the aforementioned outlandish conclusion. Thank you everyone for stating your concerns. I will attempt to remain fair and just in my future articles.

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