EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A 40-year-old man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Thursday, August 22, after he seriously injured his ex-wife. He said he was fighting an “evil witch,” according to court documents obtained by KTSM.

Early Thursday morning, officers with the El Paso Police Department responded to 3348 Tierra Mision for a report of shots fired. The caller reported that five to six shots had been fired and that Marcus Anthony Payne, 40, was standing by their front door babbling.

1 person arrested, woman seriously injured in far east El Paso

Upon arrival, officers observed Payne yelling and throwing objects before running back into his home.

According to court documents, officers at the scene spoke to Payne’s mother by phone, who said they believed Payne had ongoing mental health issues and that the officers’ presence would further aggravate Payne’s condition.

Payne’s ex-wife was notified of the incident by Payne’s mother and she arrived at the scene.

According to court documents, Payne’s ex-wife was able to calm Payne down, but Payne refused to come outside for officers.

According to court documents, the EPPD decided to breach the perimeter and leave Payne in his home.

Around 6:13 a.m., multiple calls were made regarding a welfare check. Witnesses reported hearing yelling. One of the witnesses, a neighbor in the area, said he saw a woman bleeding and banging on his door through his doorbell camera, according to court documents.

According to court documents, firefighters arrived on scene and found the victim. He was taken to a local hospital.

Officers approached Payne’s home and found him standing in the front yard with a pit bull dog. Payne was given verbal commands, which he complied with, and he was taken into custody without further incident.

Payne told officers he was fighting a “witch” and that he was able to trick her and get her into a “cage,” court documents said.

According to court documents, officers conducted a security check of Payne’s home looking for other possible victims. Officers were able to observe “suspected” blood throughout the home, a machete, a small axe, a handgun, unfired bullets and spent shell casings.

In addition, officers saw blood in an SUV parked in the driveway of the home and a trail of blood that appeared to lead from the home to the other side of the street, court documents show.

EPPD Crime Against Person detectives were called to the scene to continue the investigation. They were told Payne’s ex-wife had approximately “six lacerations to her head, a fractured skull with exposed brain matter, multiple defensive wounds to her arms/hands and is currently intubated,” according to court documents.

According to court documents, investigators also noticed that part of the middle finger of Payne’s ex-wife’s left hand was missing and severed.

According to court documents, detectives obtained a search warrant for Payne’s home and found a firearm, a machete and a small hatchet with apparent blood on it on a mattress in the living room.

According to court documents, investigators also discovered a dog kennel with “a large amount of blood on the bottom,” corroborating Payne’s statements about putting someone in a “cage.”

Investigators also found a piece of a finger that appeared to have been severed, consistent with the injury sustained by Payne’s ex-wife, court documents state.

When investigators met with Payne, he said he could not remember what happened that night. However, he did say he remembered having a dream in which he was fighting an “evil witch,” according to court documents.

According to court documents, Payne stated he used two swords to fight the “witch” and struck several times.

Payne also said he has a machete and an axe in his home. He also said the sandals he was wearing belonged to his ex-wife, so he believed his ex-wife had been to his home before, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Payne was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

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