An Athens man is behind bars without bond after jurors convicted him Thursday for brutally beating his girlfriend and her 2-year-old in 2015.

Limestone Circuit Judge Robert Baker ordered James Lynn Johnson Jr., 30, of 1412 N. Houston St., to jail after jurors found him guilty of first-degree domestic violence, a Class A felony; aggravated child abuse and domestic violence strangulation, Class B felonies; first-degree unlawful imprisonment and third-degree domestic violence, both misdemeanors.

County District Attorney Brian Jones said Baker did not set a sentencing date Thursday because he ordered a pre-sentence evaluation on Johnson.

Johnson has four prior felonies on his record.

Victim clean, sober

During the trial, the victim — Samantha Fately, 23, of Athens — admitted using drugs while she was dating Johnson. Shortly after she went to police about the beating, she entered a program through the Limestone County Department of Human Resources and earned her GED and got help with her drug addiction, Jones said.

“Samantha is doing very well and has been clean and sober since 2015,” the district attorney said. “She’s got a job and she and (her daughter) are doing well.”