BUTLER TWP — Testimony Thursday about the death of an unborn child last year revolved around claims that the accused killer believed himself to be Lucifer.

“Since he claimed to be Lucifer, he said he wanted the baby in hell,” said Crystal Bogart, 34, of Butler, during her testimony at the preliminary hearing.

Bogart is the mother of the deceased baby boy and the former girlfriend of the accused killer, Damien M. Large, 19, of Butler.

Large has been charged with homicide of an unborn child as well as felonies of aggravated assault of an unborn child, aggravated assault of the mother and strangulation of the mother. He additionally is charged with misdemeanors of making terroristic threats, using unlawful restraint and reckless endangerment.

Large appeared in court Thursday before District Judge Kevin O'Donnell. He has remained in Butler County Prison since O'Donnell denied bail at Large's arraignment March 16.

Bogart said she was in a relationship with the biological father of her child when she met Large. She said after she left the father for Large, the two moved multiple times until late last year, when they ended up at the Super 8 motel in Butler Township.

She said after they moved to the motel, Large changed and began to “switch” personalities between himself, Lucifer and God. “He was never like this when we first met,” she said.

Alleged assault

According to Bogart, the couple awoke on the morning of the attack in late December, and Large asked her to go door-to-door to get him a cigarette. She said it was a frequent request and often was followed by a beating.

Bogart said that morning she returned empty handed. She said Large, who believed he was Lucifer, jumped on top of her, pinning her to the bed, choking her and threatening to kill her.

She said she was in and out of consciousness as he choked her, but she remembers him punching her stomach three or four times.

Bogart said Large got off her, and he returned to himself. “He pretty much acted like he didn't know what happened,” she said. “He basically said I self-harmed myself, and I didn't.”

A short time, later Bogart was rushed to a hospital. Police were not called that day, and during cross-examination Bogart told Large's public defender, Maura Palumbi, that she wanted Large to come with her to the hospital, which he did.

“Did you ask Mr. Large to come to the hospital?” Palumbi asked.

“Yes,” Bogart said. “That's when he was himself.”

Death of the baby

Bogart was the second to testify Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Terri Schultz first called Dr. Edwin Cheek, an OB-GYN associated with Butler Memorial Hospital who performed an emergency cesarean section on Bogart shortly after midnight Dec. 26.

Cheek said he removed the baby, who he described as about “one week” from being carried to term. He said the child was the size he would expect for Bogart's point of gestation, about 36 weeks.

“I noticed bruising on the patient's lower abdomen,” Cheek said.

Cheek said nurses relayed the circumstances to him, and at the time Bogart told doctors she had fallen on a curb or stairs. Cheek said bruising from a curb would be linear, but the bruises he saw were smaller and circular.

Cheek said after the child was removed, he handed him over to a pediatrician standing by who spent between 10 to 15 minutes trying to resuscitate the infant. Cheek said he pronounced the baby's death and signed the death certificate, which noted the cause of death as acute placental abruption.

The placenta is an organ attached to the uterine wall that connects to the umbilical cord and helps introduce fresh blood to the baby's system. That blood carries oxygen and nutrients into the baby's system and carries waste out of it.

During an acute abruption, the placenta detaches from the uterine wall, causing bleeding inside the mother and lack of blood flow to the baby.

“There's a large differential in causes,” Cheek said. “Trauma would be high in the list of possibilities.”

Cheek said high blood pressure and cocaine usage would be two other causes, but neither of those two seemed to fit this case.

“I believe the abruption resulted from trauma as a result of viewing bruises on the abdomen,” Cheek said.

Return to the room

Cheek said he returned to the hospital room the next morning to check on Bogart and to take photographs of her stomach. He was informed she had checked herself out less than 24 hours after her surgery and against medical advice.

In her testimony, Bogart said her then-boyfriend became rude with staff and pushed for her to be discharged.

“I was afraid of what he would do if I said no,” she said.

Bogart said hospital staff gave her a memory box as they left. It included the baby's blankets, a lock of his hair, a photograph and the birth certificate for Bryan Michael Large.

During cross-examination, Palumbi asked Bogart if before the alleged assault, Large was excited to be the baby's father.

“Yes,” Bogart said.

According to charging documents, Bogart and Large stayed in their motel room until Jan. 3, when Butler Township Police, for the first time, were called to an alleged assault.

The results of that investigation prompted a separate set of charges, which have moved to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

According to police, Large attacked Bogart on Jan. 3 with a hammer, and he subsequently was charged for that event, including two felony counts of aggravated assault.

During his testimony Thursday, Det. Tyler Collins, who filed charges in the homicide case, said Jan. 3 was the first time Bogart talked to police about the loss of her baby, and Collins pursued an investigation.

Arguments

Collins provided the court with a better timeline of events based on his Jan. 12 interview with Bogart.

Throughout Bogart's testimony, she struggled to produce a linear timeline and often failed to give a specific time or date.

During cross-examination, she told Palumbi she has a learning disability, which makes some things difficult to understand.

“She definitely had difficulty with the times, but eventually was able to give me a timeline of events,” Collins said.

Collins said he also interviewed multiple doctors, nurses and fellow residents of the motel to complement Bogart's testimony, which will be available to the defense before a trial.

During cross-examination, Palumbi drew attention to forensic pathologist Dr. Todd Luckasevic, whose opinion in the affidavit of probable cause was the basis for the homicide charge.

Collins said Luckasevic reviewed medical reports and advised whether the assault could have caused the abruption.

Luckasevic did not testify Thursday.

Palumbi focused on this as she called on O'Donnell to dismiss multiple charges, including the homicide.

“A large part of that is causation,” she said. “We don't have any testimony of the forensic pathologist.”

Schultz said the testimony of Cheek and Bogart should be enough to send the case to trial.

“We've heard Ms. Bogart testify to what happened that day,” Schultz said.

O'Donnell ruled all charges in the case be moved forward to county court, where Large will appear next for a formal arraignment Aug. 31.