ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – After hearing about the death of Melissa Lightsey, a former girlfriend of Ben Lightsey came forward and told Channel 4 she had reasons to be frightened of him years ago during their relationship.
Katie Reynolds said she dated Ben Lightsey in 2003 for about one year. She said although at first he appeared to be her dream man, after a few months he was anything but what he seemed.
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Reynolds was a waitress in Vilano Beach when she said one day Ben Lightsey came in and swept her off her feet. She said about three months into their relationship things began to change.
"He would sit outside the door to make sure that I was in the shower and not walking out and leaving," Reynolds said.
After that she said things got worse.
"He has grabbed me by the hair and dragged me through his house," Reynolds said. "For six months it went on because I was scared. He threatened to kill me. Every time I tried to leave he held a knife to my throat -- he held a knife to his wrist."
"The only thing I know about Ben for sure was that he was an extraordinarily violent, aggressive and abuse person," said Debbie Diana, who owned the restaurant where Reynolds worked.
She said she watched in horror as Lightsey abused Reynolds, who she said had become like a daughter to her.
"She was in a pickup truck with him when they pulled up to the restaurant and he literally flung her from the vehicle onto the ground, and then sped out and gravel hit her everywhere all over her body. She was scraped from head to toe," Diana said. "I witnessed tons of bruises on her. I witnessed scrapes. I witnessed him at the bar in our little restaurant, where he came unglued on her and attacked her and had to be pulled off her."
She said the situation began to escalate further and that she and her husband became not only afraid for Reynolds but also for themselves.
"It escalated to the point where he threatened my life. He threatened my husband's life. He threatened Katie's life. He threatened everyone in the restaurant," Diana said.
Diana said Ben Lightsey would call the restaurant as many as 40 times an hour looking for Reynolds. She said workers would take turns telling the man to stay away but he wouldn't listen.
Reynolds filed a restraining order, but later decided not to go forward with it.
Ben Lightsey moved to Hawaii, and Reynolds said at first he called her all the time. However, soon the calls stopped.
A couple of years later, Ben Lightsey met and married Melissa Lightsey. The couple had two children -- 3-year-old Sonny Lee and Zane, who is almost 2.
On Nov. 9, Melissa Lightsey's body was found in the St. Augustine Inlet. According to the medical examiner, she died of trauma to the head, face and neck, not drowning.
Reynolds said when she heard about Melissa Lightsey's slaying she immediately became suspicious and wanted to talk about what took place during her relationship with Ben Lightsey.
"It will not stop me from talking about from speaking about what I know about this man because an innocent mother is dead and that's unacceptable in my world -- it's just unacceptable," Diana said.
Ben Lightsey was arrested on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in wife's death. He is being held in jail on no bond.
St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said investigators would still like to talk with anyone who saw Ben or Melissa Lightsey the evening of Nov. 8. Detectives ask that anyone with information call the sheriff's office at 904-824-8304.