Five charged in attack on Belleville man to appear in court

The Belleville man testified that he was repeatedly cut and needed 120 stitches on his back. His cash, watch and phone were taken from him as well.

Freeman will appear before Judge Archie Brown on Wednesday for a hearing. Katherine Bialoruski, 19, Kristen Bialoruski, 22, both of Belleville, Gholam Ghanbari, 47, of Ypsilanti, and Asia McGaughy, 20, of Ann Arbor, are scheduled to appear before Brown on Sept. 12 for final pretrial hearings.

In April, a district court judge bound all five defendants over to circuit court on charges of armed robbery, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and unarmed robbery.

According to court records, Kristen Bialoruski told police she had $3,700 stolen from a safe in her Belleville home. Her 3-year-old child accused the Belleville man, a family friend, of taking the money.

The Belleville man testified at a preliminary examination on April 24 that Kristen Bialoruski confronted him about the missing money for two days before the attack. Then on March 25, the Belleville man testified he began messaging with McGaughy on Facebook.

He said he did not know McGaughy was acquainted with the Bialoruski sisters.

The Belleville man and McGaughy made plans to get together later that night. At about 10 p.m., he was dropped off at a gas station on Belleville Road where McGaughy was waiting in a vehicle.

The man testified he got in and was told they needed to go to Ypsilanti Township to pick up a friend of McGaughy. They drove to an apartment complex at Textile and Bridge roads. McGaughy began talking on her cell phone. When she hung up, she told the victim to “give it up.”

At that point, the Belleville man said he saw someone else in the parking lot and knew it was about the money missing from the safe, so he got out of the car and ran.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said during his testimony.

A man identified by the Belleville man as Freeman chased after him and the two began fighting in the middle of the road. Another man alleged to be Ghanbari got involved.

“Some big … dude just knocked me to the ground,” the Belleville man testified. “I just heard him screaming something like, ‘I’m gonna cut you.’ And he got to slicing me all up.”

The Belleville man said he also saw the Bialoruski sisters. The four allegedly beat and kicked the Belleville man, who lay in a fetal position in the middle of the intersection. Ghanbari allegedly cut him with a box cutter, according to court records.

“I didn’t even know I was getting cut on my back until everybody left,” the victim said.

His cash, wallet and phone were taken. An ambulance was called and the Belleville man was taken to the hospital where he remained for a day and a half.

Ghanbari currently is lodged in jail on a $300,000 cash bond. Katherine Bialoruski is being held on a bond of 10 percent of $30,000. Kristen Bialoruski is being held on a $100,000 cash bond. Jail records indicate Freeman and McGaughy currently are not lodged.