‘90 Day Fiance’ star abused ex-lover, and now he’s going to prison, TN officials say
A man best known for his appearance on the “90 Day Fiance” reality show was sentenced to 18 years in a domestic violence case against his former fiance.
Geoffrey Ian Paschel from Knoxville, Tennessee, was locked in a legal battle against his former fiance after he was arrested in 2019 in connection with a domestic violence incident, according to US Magazine.
Paschel had previously been found guilty of aggravated kidnapping, domestic violence and interference with emergency call. The sentence of 18 years in prison without the possibility or parole was announced on Feb. 3, according to a news release from Knoxville District Attorney General Charme Allen.
The victim is not being named to protect her identity.
The case dates back to June 9, 2019, when Knox County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of a domestic disturbance in the area of Rocky Hill, a neighborhood in West Knoxville. When deputies arrived, they were told that Paschel had assaulted the victim, who was Paschel’s fiance at the time.
In the opening arguments of the two-day trial in October 2021, assistant district attorney Heather Good described Paschel grabbing the victim by the back of the neck and slamming her multiple times into the hardwood floor. Paschel was accused of taking the victim’s phone after the beating, Good said, so that she could not contact authorities. Both Paschel and his ex-fiance testified that they went to bed after the alleged incident, but had differing accounts of how the night panned out.
“After laying there for two hours, she decided to take a chance and run, and she did,” Good said in the opening statements of the trial, detailing the victim’s choice to run to the neighbors, barefoot, so that they could call police. Deputies found bruises and abrasions on the woman’s back, arms and inside of her lip, according to the attorney’s office. She also suffered a concussion.
Paschel had a different narrative when testifying before the jury. He said that the tension between them on the night of June 8, 2019 went from zero to 100 once an argument began. Paschel said that as his ex-fiance tried to leave the house during the argument, she ran into the edge of the door, resulting in her head injury. Paschel denied any wrongdoing during the incident
“With the sentence in this case, no other victims will be abused by this offender for a long time,” Allen said in a release.
Paschel had a previous history with domestic violence incidents, including with his ex-wife, the DA’s office said.
Video evidence presented at the trial showed Paschel trying to have his children visit the victim to convince her to ask the court for leniency in the case.
Questions about the relationship between Paschel and Russia native Varya Malina have bubbled up in the wake of Paschel’s conviction. They got engaged while on the show “90 Day Fiance” in 2020. She was in the courtroom during Peschel’s sentencing, according to U.S. Magazine.
Malina posted an Instagram post acknowledging Paschel’s sentencing on Paschel’s late son’s birthday.
“Sweet baby boy Kazhem would have celebrated his 5th birthday today. Thank you ... for this wonderful cake, he and his dad would absolutely love it. Unfortunately neither of them got to taste it,” Malina wrote. “To be honest we didn’t expect much from this sentencing. 18 years? Alright, we passed the bottom, that means there’s only one way up! The grounds for the appeal became even stronger.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 6:37 PM with the headline "‘90 Day Fiance’ star abused ex-lover, and now he’s going to prison, TN officials say."
