Gladstone woman dies after boyfriend allegedly hits her in the head with a plate

A 59-year-old Gladstone man faces first-degree domestic assault charges in connection with his girlfriend’s death after he allegedly hit her with a plate during an argument.

Clay County prosecutors also have charged Robert C. Mount Jr. with armed criminal action.

Police responded Monday to their home in the 6800 block of North Olive Street in Gladstone after a 911 call about 1:10 p.m. reported that the woman wasn’t breathing.

Police found the woman’s body on a hallway floor. They also saw overturned furniture and blood on walls and the hallway floor.

According to court documents, Mount initially told police that he and his girlfriend had been drinking most of the night. About 2 a.m. Monday, she hit her head and caused it to bleed.

Mount said they stopped the bleeding and he tried to clean up the blood in the bathroom and then they went to bed in separate rooms because they had not been getting along.

When he woke up at 9 a.m., he saw her “slumped” in her chair and thought she was sleeping. He went back to sleep. When he woke up again at noon, he checked on her and discovered she wasn’t breathing. He called 911 and administered CPR.

Police detained Mount because his girlfriend had numerous bruises and a swollen, blackened right eye. Her hair and head were covered in blood.

After further questioning by police, Mount allegedly said the two argued over dinner. He said his girlfriend was drunk and threw a mug at him, missing him. He threw a 9-inch plate that hit her forehead near her right eye, which caused a wound that started to bleed.

After he tried to get the bleeding to stop, he went to bed. He woke about 2 a.m. and found her kneeling next to the bed “like she was praying.”

Mount said she had slept like that before, so he went back to sleep. A few hours later, he found her unresponsive and called 911.

Police said the evidence doesn’t match Mount’s statements. The Kansas City Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit found a small amount of blood in the kitchen where Mount said he threw the plate. A large amount of blood was found in the bathrooms and master bedroom.

A witness told police that Mount had called him shortly before the 911 call. Mount allegedly told the witness that he thought his girlfriend was dead and that she had fallen earlier and hit her head on a wall, causing it to bleed. The witness also said he had received a call from the woman’s phone number at 3:45 a.m. but didn’t answer it. No message was left.

Although an autopsy was performed, the official cause and manner of death are pending toxicology results.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Gladstone woman dies after boyfriend allegedly hits her in the head with a plate."