Norwich — A 35-year-old man who moved here from Baton Rouge, La., last fall to live with friends and start a new life became the victim of a macabre crime that left him legless, according to city police.

The victim and two people charged in the crime appear to have been involved in the goth scene, whose followers often listen to punk rock, wear pale makeup with black lipstick and dress in clothing reminiscent of the Victorian era, including corsets that are worn around the abdomen, lace up in the back and are used for body shaping.

In an arrest warrant affidavit, police allege that Michael Lovering, also known as Mikal Lovering, was strangled with a string from a leather corset by his roommate, 28-year-old Kristopher Prudhomme, after Prudhomme learned Lovering had slept with Prudhomme's girlfriend.

The warrant alleges that Lovering, who had accompanied Prudhomme and his girlfriend, 21-year-old Lauren E. Muskus, to a punk rock concert in New Haven on Oct. 21, 2016, was assaulted by Prudhomme early the next morning in their 586 E. Main St. apartment and left to suffer until the next afternoon, when Prudhomme called for an ambulance, saying Lovering had attempted to kill himself.

Lovering was in a medically induced coma and on a respirator for several days, and doctors had to amputate both of his legs because they had not received proper circulation for 12 to 14 hours, according to the affidavit.  

When police were able to interview Lovering on Nov. 9, he said that he and Muskus were in his bedroom having a conversation about their sexual relationship when he was attacked. He said he was sitting on the floor with his back to the door when somebody came up behind him, wrapped something around his neck and choked him. He said he saw Muskus' facial expression "turn to horror before everything went black."

"The next thing he remembers is waking up in the hospital with his legs amputated," the affidavit states.

First responders had found Lovering lying on his back in his bedroom with his legs bent at the knees and his feet tucked under his buttocks. He had a mixture of vomit and blood on his chest and a thin red indentation on his neck, consistent with a ligature mark, according to the affidavit. He had difficulty speaking due to his condition, but when a police officer asked him his name, he said what sounded like "Kris."

Prudhomme told police that Lovering had had problems in Louisiana, had been depressed about not being able to find a job in Connecticut and may have tried to kill himself.

Following a lengthy investigation, police charged Prudhomme on Dec. 22 with intentional cruelty to persons, first-degree assault, first-degree strangulation and tampering with evidence. He posted a $250,000 surety bond and is due back in court on Jan. 9. Prudhomme, whose court file indicates he works as a draftsman at Electric Boat, has retained the Kirschbaum Law Firm of Wethersfield, according to court documents.

Muskus, who allegedly took the leather corset to her Monroe apartment, was charged with tampering with physical evidence. She is free on a $25,000 bond and is represented by the Robert Sullivan law firm of Westport.

Both of their cases are pending in New London Superior Court.

Lovering and his mother did not respond to requests for an interview.

On his Facebook page, Lovering posted in November that he was going to a rehabilitation center and eventually would be going home. He wrote about receiving dialysis and suffering from "phantom limb" syndrome.

His girlfriend, Stormie Robinson, said via text that it has been a very difficult and depressing ordeal. She declined to participate in an interview due to the pending criminal case.

On Oct. 21, Lovering, Muskus and Prudhomme attended a concert at the Lyric Hall Theater in New Haven, according to the affidavit. Playing that night were the The Long Losts, who describe themselves as a garage-goth-punk-rock duo from New York.

Prudhomme told police Lovering had a disagreement with a woman at the concert and that Prudhomme was annoyed because he thought Lovering ruined what was supposed to be a low-key night. Prudhomme said they all had a few drinks and arrived back in Norwich at 3:15 a.m. He said Lovering saw some neighbors outside the apartment and invited them in for a drink, then "started acting strange." Prudhomme said he asked the neighbors to leave and put Lovering to bed.

During the overnight hours, Prudhomme said he heard Lovering vomiting in the bathroom. He said the next day, it sounded like Lovering was "banging around" in his bedroom. Prudhomme said that after receiving a Facebook message from Robinson, Lovering's girlfriend in Louisiana, who was concerned because she had not heard from Lovering all day, he checked on Lovering and found him lying on the floor, making gurgling noises. He said Lovering had red marks on his neck and appeared to have tried to strangle himself with a corset string and would not wake up. Prudhomme said he tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but stopped and called an ambulance because Lovering "swallowed his tongue" and he realized he could not handle the situation.

The police were dispatched to the apartment at 5:40 p.m. Oct. 22, a Saturday afternoon, according to the affidavit.

During a followup interview with police, Prudhomme said that after returning from New Haven, Lovering had admitted to sleeping with Muskus while Prudhomme was at work. Prudhomme said that Muskus told him the sex "wasn't consensual," according to the affidavit. He also said that he and Lovering were not getting along because Lovering could not find a job and was not helping with household bills.

Prudhomme said Muskus was in the apartment the whole night and following day, but that she stayed in Prudhomme's bedroom all day. He said he didn't want her to see Lovering because she was "sheltered, naive and not used to seeing sick people."

In a separate interview with police, Muskus admitted she took the leather corset to her apartment in Monroe because "she thought the victim (Lovering) was going to die and she wanted something to remember him by." Police seized the corset on Nov. 4 and noted in the affidavit that the string appeared to be "very thin, similar to the description of the ligature marks on the victim's neck."

In early November, both Muskus and Prudhomme hired lawyers and stopped talking to investigators, according to the affidavit.

Police obtained medical records that indicated Lovering had suffered acute respiratory failure, septic shock, a kidney injury, liver shock, signs of heart damage, obstruction of the arteries reducing blood flow to his extremities, and compartment syndrome, a rare and painful condition that that occurs when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels.

k.florin@theday.com