Charges: Meth dealer beat girlfriend, threatened to kill her

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A meth dealer is accused of beating his girlfriend and threatening to kill her, including shooting a gun at her to scare her, tying her up and interrogating her during episodes of paranoia.

Don Christopher Boswell, 40, of Minneapolis, is charged via warrant on Tuesday with stalking, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and being a prohibited person In possession of a firearm. 

Charges detail abuse against Boswell's girlfriend

According to the criminal complaint, Brooklyn Park police at around 3 p.m. on July 22 got a call to do a welfare check on a woman. The woman's mother told police at 5 a.m. that day, she got a call from her daughter's boyfriend — later identified as Boswell — who said he went on for about 45 minutes, rambling about her daughter. 

The mother said Boswell was angry at her daughter and said numerous times he was going to kill her, and that he knows people who would kill her. During the call, the mother could hear her daughter crying and whimpering in the background. The mother told police Boswell is violent and had assaulted her daughter multiple times in the past, charges state. 

When police arrived at the daughter's home, she initially did not want to say anything about Boswell, who was not there at the time. Police noticed bruises on her face and a large mark on her neck that appeared to be from a rope or a cord, the complaint says. 

A few days later, on July 26, the woman went to the Brooklyn Park police station, where she reported numerous incidents of violence at the hands of Boswell. She said she met him when she got out of treatment in January or February of 2022 and was looking to buy some methamphetamine — Boswell was her dealer, charges said. 

Boswell sold her a large amount of drugs and they started dating, charges said, but Boswell soon became physically abusive. The most recent act of abuse came on July 21, when Boswell became angry with his girlfriend because he thought she placed a GPS tracker on his car. 

The girlfriend said Boswell was often paranoid, noting she never placed a tracker, charges said. 

That day (July 21), Boswell drove her to a liquor store in Minneapolis, where he told her to get out of the car and on her knees. He then took out a gun and fired it to scare her. Boswell then told her to get back in the car and they drove off. During the drive, Boswell fired another round out the window into the air and told her, "I could have killed you twice now," charges said. 

Boswell stopped the car again in Minneapolis and told her to get out of the car. He then kicked and punched her, as well as poured beer on her head. He then took his gun and held it to her head. When neighbors came outside, she heard Boswell tell them "this is pimpin" and called her a "ho." Boswell told her to crawl back to the car and she only got inside because she was scared for her life, according to the complaint.  

When they got back in the car, Boswell punched her about 15 times in the head and threatened to kill her family, charges said. He appeared drunk at the time, the victim told authorities. 

Between January and July of this year, the woman reported numerous other violent incidents of abuse, which occurred in Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis, charges said. She recalled an incident where he tied her hands behind her back and put her in the closet. While she was tied up, Boswell punched her in the mouth, causing a loose tooth. She was bleeding heavily, but couldn't clean herself up due to being tied up.

According to the criminal complaint:

"During this time period, [the victim] remembers various other incidents where [Boswell] punched her, hit her with a cooking pan, dragged her by her hair, hit her with an extension cord and threatened to kill her. [Boswell] also tied her up repeatedly, sometimes placing a sock in her mouth and duct tape on her mouth. [The victim] stated [Boswell] would tie her up, then interrogate her about things she has done. [Boswell] has also cut off her clothes and one time, grabbed her ponytail and cut off her hair. [Boswell] has shot at her to scare her and beat her with the gun numerous times as well. [Boswell] would also pour hot water and honey in her vaginal area. [The victim] stated she has gone to the hospital several times in the past few months as a result of [Boswell's] violence and is very scared of [Boswell]."

Boswell has an extensive criminal history that includes prior convictions for kidnapping and first-degree criminal sexual conduct.