PITTSBURGH — A terrifying act of torture unfolded inside of a home on Clayton Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, and the man who Pittsburgh police said is behind it all is now behind bars.
Burton Byrd was taken into custody Thursday morning after investigators said he repeatedly burned the victim with a hot clothes iron and held her hostage for more than three days.
The victim told police Byrd accused her of cheating on him. Because of this, she said, “he figured he would punish me.”
A criminal complaint says Byrd forced the victim to strip naked inside the home. He then allegedly bound her hands with a shoestring, hit her with a leather belt, and punched her in the face multiple times before he picked up a clothes iron.
Investigators said he burned her repeatedly with it for four hours, pressing the hot iron into her leg and dragged it around her body. The victim suffered burns on 60 percent of her body, according to court documents.
The criminal complaint says after several days, Byrd finally allowed her to leave the house to seek medical attention but told her to tell medics that she was beaten up on Butler Street in Lawrenceville, threatening to harm her family if she did not comply.
Nurses at West Penn Burn Center showed investigators pictures of the victim. The disturbing images showed skin peeled off her body due to the burning, as well as burnt flesh that showed the tip of the iron.
Byrd faces several charges, including kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and assault.
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