Gina Kirschenheiter Claims Husband Choked Her, Threatened to Kill Her While Kids Were in House
Gina Kirschenheiter has alleged that her husband Matthew Kirschenheiter choked her, hit her, dragged her, threw her, and threatened to kill her — all while their three young kids were sleeping in the other room — during an early morning fight on Saturday at her house that lead to his arrest.
In court documents obtained by The Blast, related to the temporary restraining order Gina has out against Matthew, the Real Housewives of Orange County star details an alleged argument that began around 2 a.m., when Matt showed up at Gina’s Orange County home unannounced.
The two, both 35, had been out earlier in the evening and had argued, Gina claimed in the documents. Matthew had returned to the house while Gina was asleep and “pounded” on her door and rang the doorbell before breaking into the home to continue their fight, according to the documents.
According to Gina, Matthew “immediately became enraged” and “threw me on the couch and threw some of the furniture around,” she claimed in the docs. When she tried to get up, he threw her down and then screamed in her face that “he was going to f—ing kill me.”
“He ripped my bra strap off, then took a pillow and hit me on the side of the head with it hard,” she claimed in the order. “I begged him to stop … to calm down … but he kept hitting me. Eventually he started to hit me on the side of the head with his open hand. When I tried to get up off of the couch, he threw me back down and began choking me. Then he started to hit me all over my body.”
She was able to break away, Gina said, and ran screaming to the neighbors for help. Matthew followed outside. “He grabbed me and dragged me on the pavement back into the house,” Gina claimed in the docs. “He threw me back on the couch and started hitting me again, telling me he was going to kill me. His eyes were black and nothing I could say would bring him back to reality.”
Pleas to think of their three children — sons Nicholas, 7, Luca, 3, and daughter Sienna, 5 — had no effect, Gina claimed in the report.
Police showed up at her home and arrested Matthew that evening. Gina claimed in the documents that she spoke to him before he was taken away by police and again after he got to jail. Both times, he was “still very angry and blamed me for getting him arrested,” the documents state.
PEOPLE can confirm that Matthew, who works in investment banking, was taken into custody and booked in an Orange County, California, jail on Saturday, according to online jail records. He was released the next morning at around 1 a.m. and his bail was set at $0. A court date has not yet been set and he has not yet been charged with a crime.
A rep for Gina had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.
According to a source, Gina is staying strong. “Her main priority is her kids,” the source previously told PEOPLE.
Gina filed for divorce from Matthew last April after eight years of marriage. She made her debut on RHOC‘s 14th season, which premiered July 16, 2018.
“It wasn’t easy,” Gina previously told PEOPLE of their decision to split. “Matt and I were just coming out of the baby, baby, baby-phase and were recognizing that our relationship had run its course. At the same time, he had taken a new job in Los Angeles and was living there during the week. And I had made this commitment to come on this show.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Gina Kirschenheiter (@ginakirschenheiter) on Jun 25, 2018 at 7:14pm PDT
You’re original and sensitive. Probably the best two qualities any kid can have. We love you more than you’ll ever know. Happy birthday Nicholas. 6-23-12 
View this post on InstagramBeach Sundays!!!! Party of five!!! #familytradition
A post shared by Gina Kirschenheiter (@ginakirschenheiter) on Jul 8, 2018 at 4:29pm PDT
Though they were separated, Gina and Matthew took on a birdsnesting custody agreement, sharing a singular home and trading time so that their kids could maintain a sense of normalcy.
That apparently led to some conflict as well. In her temporary restraining order documents, Gina claimed that back in August 2018, Matthew broke through a locked bedroom door where Gina was hiding and went into a closet where she “could hear him playing with his shotgun.” She said she called her father on speakerphone to try to calm Matt down before leaving the house.
“There are other incidents that have scared me in the past,” she claimed in the documents. “Too many to remember.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Gina Kirschenheiter (@ginakirschenheiter) on Jun 11, 2019 at 4:10pm PDT
Still, even after that, Gina considered romance again with Matthew, sparking speculation of a possible reconciliation earlier this month. She even posted a tribute to Matthew in celebration of his birthday, sharing multiple photos of the two throughout the years — including a snapshot from their wedding day — alongside a loving caption.
RELATED: RHOC‘s Gina Kirschenheiter Shares Loving Tribute on Ex Matt’s Birthday — Did They Reconcile?
“Happy birthday to the man who has held my hand for the last 14 years despite the ups and downs,” she wrote. “Thanks for being the best father to our kids, and the best friend a girl could ask for. Wouldn’t want to take on this crazy life with anyone else. Like you said, ‘I’m your person and you’re mine.’ “
That seems to be over now.
“Respondent and I had attempted reconciliation in hopes of keeping our family together, but now I realize it’s better for us both to move on for the sake of our children,” Gina wrote in her restraining order request. “I am heartbroken for all of us. Matt needs professional help, which is more than I can give him.”
Matthew and Gina are due at a hearing next month. Until then, he has been ordered to stay 100 yards away from her and their children.
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