DULUTH, MN – Mark Allen Isham, a 61-year-old from Minnesota, was found guilty of brutally assaulting the amputee mother of his children in a chilling episode of domestic violence that included hours-long abuse. A jury delivered the verdict on June 7 after a trial in U.S. District Court presided over by Judge Kate Menendez.

Isham, who has racked up multiple previous domestic assault convictions against the victim known in court as C.K.R., was convicted on two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. He was acquitted on an additional charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.

The case against Isham unfolded when C.K.R., having nearly completed an addiction treatment program, ended up at a Minnesota shelter. After reaching out to Isham for transportation, what was meant to be a brief stay turned into a harrowing ordeal. Prosecutors detailed how Isham denied C.K.R. the use of her wheelchair, effectively imprisoning her in his home, where he then subjected her to a prolonged and savage attack.

The attack, described by prosecutors, saw Isham using his fists and improvised weapons, including a stick with a knife taped to it, to repeatedly strike C.K.R. over the course of a night. The abuse escalated to the point where C.K.R. was force-fed her own feces.

Evidence presented at the trial included disturbing photographic documentation of the victim’s injuries and the squalid conditions where she was confined. After a week of captivity, C.K.R. managed to summon help while Isham was distracted. Responding officers from the Bois Forte Police encountered deceptive tactics from Isham before C.K.R.’s cries led them to her aid.

Isham’s criminal behavior extended beyond the assault as prosecutors accused him of witness tampering. While under a no-contact order and residing in a halfway house, Isham allegedly initiated unwanted calls to C.K.R., attempting to influence her testimony and concoct a narrative of self-defense.

Isham is currently being held in the Sherburne County Jail pending a sentencing date, which has yet to be scheduled. As this case closes, it adds another grim chapter to Isham’s long history of domestic abuse.