A man from Louisville, Moises May, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty of chaining his girlfriend inside her own home and putting her through terrible abuse
The disturbing case, which happened in August 2023 in Kentucky, stunned everyone, including criminal investigators.
Let's get into the details.
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| Moises May |
On the evening of August 16, 2023, residents of Park Hill neighborhood in Louisville, called 911 after hearing a woman screaming for help from the upstairs window of a building.
The Louisville Metropolitan Police Department was quickly notified, and officers arrived at the scene around 7 p.m.
When officers got there, they found the house tightly secured.
The entire first floor was barricaded—doors were screwed shut and windows had been tightly locked —making it almost impossible to get inside.
They tried kicking down doors and breaking windows, but they made no progress.
One of the officers noticed a ladder nearby and used it to climb up to the second floor, where he found Jonna Wilson in a terrifying state.
She was chained to the floor by her neck, using a metal dog collar which was locked with a MasterLock.
The officer then used an
axe to remove the chain, which was tightly screwed into the floor, and when paramedics arrived, they carefully used
bolt cutters to take the collar off her neck.
She was treated at the scene for her injuries but refused to go to the hospital, saying she just wanted to get away from the house.
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| Jonna Wilson in chains before her rescue |
Police later found out that Wilson had been chained for about five hours before she tried to escape.
She managed to break a window and scream for help, which caught the attention of neighbors who called 911.
Investigators also concluded that the house was deliberately secured to prevent her from leaving, with every exit either locked or blocked off.
"Thank you so much," Wilson told the officer as he used an axe to free her.
When investigators asked how she ended up chained, Wilson said it was her boyfriend, Moises May, who chained her up and left her there.
"He made me strip naked, he put the chain around my neck, he called his friend and said, ‘I’ve got to take this equipment back to Lowe’s. When I come back, I’m going to kill you.’ I only had a few minutes to get out," said Wilson.
In a shocking twist, he told police that Wilson had chained herself up because she "couldn’t stop cheating on him."
However, crime scene investigators noted that there was no evidence Wilson had imprisoned herself.
"It didn’t seem like it was something she did to herself," said Detective Brittany O’Neil during his trial.
Before chaining her, May also cut Wilson’s hair with a machete.
When officers asked him about it, he first claimed he cut her hair because she "lost a bet" during a game of checkers.
But when they pressed him for for more details, he changed his story and said Wilson wanted to dye her hair but couldn’t do it herself, so she asked him to cut it off.
Criminal investigations further revealed that May didn’t just kidnap and terrorize Wilson, but he also trafficked her, and forced her to have sex with men for money on at least five different occasions.
In May 2025, a jury found May guilty of human trafficking, kidnapping, intimidation, terroristic threatening, and harassment.
Prosecutors asked for 35 years, but the judge sentenced him to 30 years, with a requirement that he serves at least 20% before he is eligible for parole.
"Human trafficking will never have a place in our community," said Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers.
"This outcome sends a strong message that we will stand up against these despicable acts."
Joanna Wilson, now free from her abuser, has spoken out about her ordeal,
as per WDRB News.
She described how May had burned her clothes, locked her inside the house, and threatened her life for years.
"It's hard when you think you know somebody and you don't," she said.
Local organizations like Free2Hope, which supports domestic violence and human trafficking survivors, have stepped in to help Wilson rebuild her life.
"We'll be there for her, just like we are for all the women in this community," said Amy Leenerts, founder of Free2Hope.
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