Marietta man gets 5-year prison sentence for abusing wife of 30 years

Thursday morning’s sentencing comes after Madziva was convicted on charges stemming from an August 2018 incident that began when he woke his wife by shouting and slamming the bedroom door in their home on Chapel Hill Court. According to the DA’s office, as Madziva was yelling at his wife about their children, she fled to her daughter’s room and tried to hide.

Madziva pounded on the door, demanding his wife’s car keys. When she cracked the door to hand him her keys in the hopes he would go away, he grabbed her by the thumb and twisted her hand, pulling her out of the bedroom and taking her phone to prevent her from calling the police, the DA’s office said. Madziva threatened to kill his wife and chop off her hands, the release said.

Madziva’s wife was able to push him away and he fell down the stairs, giving her time to escape the home. She ran barefoot down the street in her nightgown and found a FedEx driver who lent her his phone so she could call police.

During the trial, the woman testified that he had abused her physically and verbally for years, according to the release.

“This woman found the courage to stand up to her husband of more than 30 years and tell the truth about the years of torment she suffered from him. She also worked two jobs to support the family because the defendant refused to contribute toward expenses, insisting that was her responsibility,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Dave Williamson said.

Madziva’s conviction resulted in the second sentence handed down in a domestic violence case in Cobb this week. Another Marietta man, 29-year-old Christopher Gene Scarboro, was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in an incident that happened just two days after Madziva’s arrest in August 2018.

Help is available for anyone suffering abuse in an intimate relationship. Locally, LiveSAFE Resources can help victims break free from domestic violence. Their 24-hour crisis line is 770-427-3390, and they are on the web at www.livesaferesources.org.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline also provides resources to victims, regardless of location. The hotline number is 1-800-799-7233, and they are on the web at www.thehotline.org.