A Charlotte man had his hands around a woman’s neck. She was kicking and screaming. She struggled to breathe. It was caught on video. Despite all of this, Demont Forte was found not guilty of strangulation. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s office says North Carolina’s strangulation law is failing survivors. @Hunter Sáenz did an eye opening report on this. Strangulation is one of the most common and lethal methods of intimate partner abuse. It also can foreshadow potential future lethal violence.   The Meck DA’s office shared this photo from a video clip and points out common sense says this is strangling.   But North Carolina law requires proof that strangulation caused physical injury. And the DA’s office says in this case, the suspect also punched and kicked the victim. So the jury could not determine which injuries came from what. Demont was convicted of assault on a female. But not strangulation.   And then there is the penalty. Often times probation is the likely sentence.   There’s a bill in the General Assembly that would change this. Democratic State Senator Woodson Bradley of Charlotte wants to increase the penalties for strangulation.   The Mecklenburg County DA’s office also wants to lawmakers to get rid of the requirement of proof of physical injury by strangulation for conviction. #ncpol @WSOCTV