In what has been a horrific time in the life of Daria Berenato. However, some sense of relief could hopefully be upon her. Judge Catherine M. Catlin ruled to keep Phillip Thomas be held in jail without bail while waiting for the case going to trial. Berenato, the plaintiff in this case, along with her lawyer, went over what happened that evening. What was more disturbing were numerous messages Thomas sent to her leading up to and including the night of the incident.
Messages were revealed such as threatening the life of Berenato’s friend that evening, who we later came to find out was Amanda Saccomanno (Mandy Rose), along with threatening the life of Berenato’s ex-girlfriend, her family members, including Berenato’s mother. During the coverage by piece by ABC Action News – WFTS out of Tampa Bay, Florida, actual security footage was shown of the moment when Berenato walked towards the sliding door. She wound up discovering Phillip A. Thomas before storming out of her home with Saccomanno.
It was found during the hearing that Berenato’s ex-girlfriend, Arianna, saw some of the messages from Thomas including one that had Arianna’s address.
Berenato stated that she went to the WWE securities team to help track Philip’s Instagram account. However, Phillips would close and open up multiple accounts to continue the stalking of Berenato. She looked stronger than ever. She answered yes or no questions regarding the actual messages. These were read off to her by her lawyer to help support their case.
Thank you everyone for your love and concern. A very frightening experience but thankfully everyone is safe. A special thank you to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for their response and assistance. 🖤
— Daria/Sonya Deville (@SonyaDevilleWWE) August 17, 2020
Towards the end of the hearing, the defendant pleaded to set a bail of $2 million. This was an amount that Thomas would not be able to pay. Options to help with Thomas’ mental health were also discussed. Judge Catlin ruled in favor of no bail. Furthermore, Thomas would be held in jail until the case went to trial. Catlin’s ruling favored the argument for Berenato’s council; Thomas was not just a danger to Daria Berenato and her friends and family, but also a danger to the general public and that he had no ties to the state of Florida. The hearing lasted about two hours.
Berenato was awarded a temporary injunction against Thomas for stalking her. There is a court date that takes place next week to have the injunction officially put into place permanently. Thomas remains currently jailed at the Hillsborough County Jail in Florida.
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