Prosecutors allege when Antoine Lyons got enraged over a Facebook message and “past issues,” he strangled his one-time girlfriend, slashed her hand, then forced her to jump out of a second-story apartment window while continuing to shoot.
Lyons, 40, of Gary, is charged with nine felonies, including attempted murder and one misdemeanor.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Amy Pullen told jurors the woman was “terrified” after Lyons threatened to kill her, pulled an AK-47 type gun from the sofa, then a second gun before strangling her with his belt. He swung a knife at her, cutting her hand heavily. She tried to use a chair to block him before battling a screen to jump from a window.
A SWAT team was called, but found the apartment empty.
She later got nine stitches.
“The evidence told the story,” Pullen said, noting the victim’s jacket and wig were found on the ground.
Defense lawyer Michael Lambert called it a “tall tale” — akin to a shiny, but empty Christmas present in a department store window. He told jurors to pay attention to the evidence.
Gary Police Officer Donald Briggs testified that when he responded to the scene, the woman was crying, emotional, and bleeding heavily from her hand.
Gary Police responded March 23, 2025, to an apartment complex on Malcolm X Drive for a domestic battery and shots fired call.
The woman told officers that she and a friend went to stay over at Lyon’s apartment. She and Lyons drank that evening and he has “used cocaine,” according to the affidavit.
She had been in the bedroom when he got enraged over the Facebook message and other issues. He repeatedly threatened to kill her, pointing the AK-47 weapon, then a handgun at her.
“I got something for you, (expletive),” he said when he removed his belt to strangle her, court records state.
After she jumped from the window, she ran from gunfire to a neighbor’s home. Officers later found bloodstains and four bullet casings nearby.
Lambert filed for a speedy trial in August.
mcolias@post-trib.com
